With the construction of a new bowling alley in the Workers’ Hall “Jovan Veselinov Žarko”, bowling experienced significant growth and gained great popularity in Novi Bečej. At the end of the 1970s, numerous competitions were organized as part of workers’ sports activities, and as many as forty teams participated in municipal championships held during the winter period.
Initially, bowling was a sport almost exclusively practiced by men. However, at the beginning of the 1980s, women began to take an increasing interest in this sport. Among the first women’s teams were those formed by TO “Potisje”, the “Pobeda” Shoe Factory, and IGK “Polet”.
At the first individual championship of Novi Bečej, held in 1981 in the 30 × 30 discipline, the title of municipal champion was won by Ljubinka Isakov, who knocked down 180 pins. Second place went to Margita Bera from TO “Potisje” with 177 pins, while Katalin Stojkov, also from TO “Potisje”, finished third with 176 pins.
In the team competition, first place was won by the women’s team of TO “Potisje”, coached by Laslo Makra. The championship team consisted of: Katalin Stojkov, Veselinka Čikošev, Rajka Aćimov, Ilonka Mak, Roža Berta, and Radmila Petrović.
Encouraged by these successes and the growing interest in women’s bowling, Laslo Makra proposed that the Bowling Club Jedinstvo should establish a women’s team alongside its existing men’s team. In 1981, the newly formed team did not yet participate in league competitions, but its bowlers took part in championships organized by the Bowling Association of Vojvodina.
The first notable results were achieved at the championship of the Northern Banat Zone – Kikinda, Novi Bečej, and Zrenjanin. Ljubinka Isakov won the gold medal in the individual competition, while Milica Letić and Katalin Stojkov won gold in the pairs competition.
In the autumn of 1981, the women’s team of Jedinstvo joined the regular competition of the Second Vojvodina League, which consisted of ten clubs. Besides Jedinstvo, the league included: Bečej (Univerzal) from Bečej, Bratstvo from Ada, Vojvodina II (DEKO) from Bačko Gradište, Sloboda from Stara Moravica, Apatin, Bane Sekulić from Sombor, Novi Sad, Banat from Zrenjanin, and TSK from Temerin.
The establishment of the women’s team of Bowling Club Jedinstvo marked a new chapter in the history of bowling in Novi Bečej. The club laid the foundations for the development of women’s bowling in the municipality, while the first generation of female bowlers proved through their achievements that they could successfully compete with the best teams in Vojvodina.
Photo: Women bowlers of Bowling Club “Jedinstvo” from Novi Bečej.
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