The Joe Page Green was officially opened before yesterday’s Turkey Fours tournament, which drew 80 competitors.

Bowling Club president Les Dixon hailed the opening of the club’s second green and hopes it reinvigorates the club.

“When the drought hit, the green deteriorated and most of the players went because we couldn’t maintain it,” Dixon said.

“After the drought finished, this was just weeds, we decided to put a different grass in (tifdwarf),” he said before yesterday’s fours action.

“This is a much tighter-knit grass and this will be much easier to handle and easier to bowl on year round. 

“Almost everyone in Bendigo’s got this now. This should bring more players back. It’s hard to get this many players at a tournament; usually you’re lucky to fill one green and today we’ve got two.”

Yesterday’s tournament was sponsored by Joe Page’s company Tint Central and is the club’s major fundraiser.

The new green was named after Page for the power of work he does around the club.

“He looks after all the greens, he’s our greens director,” Dixon said. “He’s down here at six o’clock in the morning mowing, then he goes off to work and he comes back Saturday after playing pennant and mows them.”

The BGBC has 48 bowls members and is aiming to expand its numbers with the new green.

“We’re probably one of the smallest clubs around, as far as numbers go, but we were the biggest. In the early 90s we were undefeated three years in a row for the flag in division one and two,” Dixon said.

“We just hope now to attract a few more members. We either build it up and get more members, or we fade away.”