Tom McGuinness hopes the booming success of Bowls’ Big Weekend will encourage more young people to get involved in the sport.

McGuinness first started bowling aged 10 after being taken down to his local club, Gerrards Cross, by his dad, international bowler John.

But now McGuinness, who represents England internationally, is hoping to show that all ages are welcome at their local green after a successful weekend of bowls – that saw over 800 clubs host free taster sessions – nationwide.

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"It’s one of the very few sports you can play with your grandad, your grandma – there’s no one in the family that can’t play,” said McGuinness.

“You can have three, four generations all playing in the same match which is a really nice aspect of the sport.

“It’s a real family-based sport and a great one to invite your friends down to.

“The generational side, when you can play with anyone, it doesn’t matter who you are, it’s a very inclusive sport.”

The 24-year-old is part of the England side due to take place in European Championships in Scotland ahead of a bumper summer of bowls, with the Commonwealth Games taking place in August.

And McGuinness hopes the bigger profile will encourage more people to go to their local club and try their hand.

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“It’s a really great platform for bowls for people to see just how fun it is,” added McGuinness.

“We’ve got a great chance of winning medals, hopefully gold, beat Scotland in their own backyard – I’d love to do that.

“We’ve got a great Commonwealth Games team, I think there’s a chance for them to win a lot of medals which obviously helps. They see the team winning, they see the excitement.”

Clubs all over the country held events last weekend as part of Big Bowls Weekend, with clubs offering introductory taster sessions and other events to encourage people to discover the sport.

“Give it a go, it’s one of those sports that you’ll try once and you’ll want to try again,” added McGuinness.

“That’s certainly how it was for me. Once you got on and started playing competitively, you can’t get enough of it.

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“There’s different levels – you can join and just play on the weekend but if you want to play competitively then there’s loads of competitions you can enter.”

And McGuinness is hoping to not only get people on the green, but in the clubhouse to discover the sport’s thriving social scene.

“The social side of bowls is second to none,” said McGuinness.

“A lot of my friends who don’t like bowls or don’t play it, come down all the time on a Friday night, have a few drinks and then everyone ends up on the green.

“If you get people coming down for the social side, eventually they’re going to want to have a go.

“Bowls as a whole, people will see that it’s not the stereotypical just old people that play, there’s a whole range of personalities and ages.”