You can forget Wayne Rooney, Zara Giles could well lay claim to being Britain’s best striker after scoring a rough 750 strikes in her professional career. And while Wayne only needs to hit a measly one target Zara has a maximum of 10 targets to hit each time she winds back her own trigger.
Zara is a professional tenpin bowling star who is a multiple World and European champion and has been ranked as the best female player in the UK in the last three years, now Rooney hasn’t done that either!
Born and raised in Preston, Lancashire, Zara speaks about her peculiar entrance into the sport she has not been able to take her fingers out of ever since.
"I started bowling when I was ten years old, I went to a friend’s bowling birthday party and I got hooked! Nobody in my family was interested much in bowling at this point but I kept pestering my parents to take me whenever we had a spare moment and now my mum runs the YBC in Preston and bowls nearly every day and my dad is the secretary of the Lancashire Tenpin Bowling Associaiton.
“My Nan bought me my first bowling ball for Christmas that same year and the resident Pro at the shop recommended I join the Youth Bowling Club on a Saturday morning, which I did.”
If only it was that easy. Turn up at a party, enjoy yourself and then become one of the world’s best. Surely after all the football parties I have been to then I must be in line for at least a call-up?
Despite her enthusiasm, Zara obviously had a natural talent for bowling that she discovered at the party and has continued to knock down any opponents that stand in her way. “Since joining the Youth Bowling Club I started playing tournaments representing Preston and made the Under-16 England team when I was only 14.”
Zara, who describes herself as determined but friendly, maintained her standards by being a member of the national team every year since 1996 where she has enjoyed tremendous success, highlighted in 2003 when, in Jenson Button style, she swept the grid in Malaysia.
“I travelled to Kuala Lumpur to compete in my first World Championships. I had no idea what to expect or how I would hold up at 21 years old against the best players in the world. I was pleasantly surprised when I dominated the event and won the Singles and Doubles events.”
If Zara was not already bowled over by her achievements then more was to come as she was crowned the All-Events Champion too. “This was the hardest medal to win and meant that I was the highest woman across the entire tournament.”
Zara’s exploits on foreign soil are something not to be taken lightly especially when you see so many home ground talents struggle when taken out of their comfort zone at home. And not resting on her laurels the blonde bombshell has continued to blow opponents out of foreign waters since her win in Malaysia.
“After that tournament (Kuala Lumpur) I was lucky to open a lot of doors which gave me opportunities to travel the world and compete professionally in Asia, Europe and the USA. I achieved goods wins in Indonesia, San Marino and Barcelona and coupled with my other career wins it resulted in me being elected into the World Bowling Writers Hall of Fame."
At the tender age of 25, fairly young in bowlers ages, Zara defines this as one of her “proudest achievements” especially as she is “one of the youngest ever electees” into the Hall of Fame.
Zara, who now lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, has a concrete affiliation with bowling as she works for Brunswick Bowling as a Product Specialist who also sponsor her.
Even as one of the world’s best Zara still maintains that the best thing about bowling is the fact that anyone of any shape or size can just pick up a ball and play. “I love how everyone in the world can bowl. All ages and abilities are able to mix and enjoy bowling.”
Now also working as a coach to help aspiring bowlers Zara truly is a national treasure who due to the “poor image bowling has in the media” and she puts it has probably not had the recognition she deserves as a multiple champion in her field, or lane.
One thing is for certain though; only half of the success that Zara has had on foreign soil from England’s second best striker in South Africa this summer will only serve to push Zara and tenpin bowling further into the sporting wilderness.
