Bowling in Novi Bečej has a long and rich tradition, and there is no doubt that Bowling Club "Jedinstvo" deserves a monograph worthy of its numerous team and individual achievements.
For years, I have been gathering material for a book about this sports collective, which will mark its 60th anniversary under the name "Jedinstvo" in 2012.

The beginning of bowling, as a sport in which a ball is used to knock down pins placed at a certain distance on a lane, is considered to be 1769, when an attempt was made in Germany to create unified rules. However, it began as an organized sport in 1885, when the German Bowling Club Association (Deutscher Keglerbund) was established in Dresden, quickly bringing together 220 clubs.

The numerous bowling alleys in Novi Bečej’s cafes confirm that this sport was a beloved pastime for the residents of the town on the Tisa. The oldest alley in the area is certainly the one at the “Sokolac” mansion near Novi Bečej, built in the 19th century. This single-lane bowling alley (shown in the picture) could still be functional today with minor adaptations and could serve as an interesting tourist attraction. The existence of a bowling alley in the mansion confirms that bowling was a favorite game of the aristocracy.

At the beginning of 1975, thanks to local self-contribution funds, the construction of the Workers' Home in Novi Bečej began, which included a four-lane automatic bowling alley. The construction of this significant facility took less than 16 months, and the official opening was held on October 1, 1976.

The new bowling alley soon became the venue for numerous official competitions, with a true spectacle taking place: a two-match series between the junior and senior teams of Yugoslavia and Hungary, held from March 18 to 20, 1977.
This friendly encounter was marked by Nikola Dragaš, then the best bowler in Yugoslavia, with a record of 997 pins, a feat that would remain unmatched for many years.