National medal success has swept across the alleys of Norwich Youth Bowling Club.

Eastern Daily Press: Members of the Norwich Youth Bowling Club. Picture: Denise BradleyMembers of the Norwich Youth Bowling Club. Picture: Denise Bradley (Image: Archant)

The club's junior players returned from the NAYBC (National Association of Youth Bowling Clubs) Junior Nationals in Coventry with five gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Eastern Daily Press: The bowlers who are going to the Triple Crown trials to represent England from the Norwich Youth Bowling Club, with Neville Nock, centre, England team manager and NYBC chairman. From left, Robert Cater, 15; Ed Benton, 17; Jason Chown, 15; and Abi Cater, 13. Picture: Denise BradleyThe bowlers who are going to the Triple Crown trials to represent England from the Norwich Youth Bowling Club, with Neville Nock, centre, England team manager and NYBC chairman. From left, Robert Cater, 15; Ed Benton, 17; Jason Chown, 15; and Abi Cater, 13. Picture: Denise Bradley (Image: copyright: Archant 2014)

The youngsters were presented with their various prizes from the competition at their weekly coaching sessions at the Namco Funscape bowling alley in Bowthorpe on Saturday morning.

Vice-chairman Stuart Pates, said: 'The buzz around the club at the moment is brilliant. We came away from the nationals with a hefty haul of medals, but the most important thing was that it was right through the age groups.

'We pick up young players from four or five all the way through to 18, and the older ones finish their games quicker, so they all came down to see the youngsters finish and support them, so as a club the camaraderie was great.'

In the singles competitions Dominic Welch took the gold medal in the male Inter category with a dominant 612 total to finish 35 points clear of his nearest rival, after scoring 216 and 215 in two of his games, to finish 10th overall in all the divisions.

Pates added: 'Dominic's previous personal best was 503, so that 600 score was a fabulous new personal best for him, it was outstanding.

'I was on the lane next to him and he was just unbelievable. It was fantastic to see his father, other parents and other Norwich bowlers cheering him on, I felt proud of the whole club.'

Olivia McCarthy also won the female Peewee gold with a total of 291 and won the all events gold at Peewee level, with a combined total score of 774 from her singles, doubles and team games.

In the doubles Norwich claimed silver at Peewee level thanks to Louie Dawson and Kyle Williams' combined score of 693 and bronze at Bantam after Jake Everitt and Nicola Betts bowled 788.

There was also a silver in the Inter class after Alex Pates and Jordan Simpson registered 1,072 and a gold in the female Inter doubles after Kathryn Betts and Abigail Cater bowled 991.

The combined performances led to an overall male team gold for Norwich, thanks to a combined score and tournament record of 2,374 from Ed Benton, Alex Pates, Robert Cater and Jason Chown.

There was also a team bronze at Peewee level thanks to the combined score of 1,447 from Nicola Betts, Louie Dawson, Kyle Williams and Jake Everitt.

Pates added: 'The club is buzzing about the medals and even for those who didn't pick up a medal, they still feel like winners.

'As a club I really feel we achieved something extraordinary and as a coach it was great to see all the little ones achieving with their bowling as well.'

Four of the club's young bowlers will be returning to Coventry later this month to take part in the Junior Triple Crown Trials, attempting to qualify to bowl for England.

Robert Cater, 15, will compete in the under-16 boys' trials and his sister Abi Cater, 13, in the under-16 girls' trials, while Jason Chown, 15, and Ed Benton, 17, will compete in the under-19 boys' trials.

Norwich YBC welcome anyone aged four to 18 to join them, meeting at 9.45am on Saturdays. For more information, visit norwichYBC.co.uk.

British Junior Open

Next month Norwich YBC will be hosting the British Junior Open at its Namco Funscape home in Bowthorpe.

The tournament will be held across the weekends of July 12-13 and 19-20 and is being sponsored by the Norwich Evening News, the sister newspaper of the Eastern Daily Press.

Norwich YBC are hoping to have around 200 young bowlers taking part in the competition.

Norwich-based GML Consulting have designed and developed a website specifically for the competition for free for Norwich YBC, which can be viewed at britishjunioropen.co.uk.

Do you know someone who has achieved national success? Contact sports reporter David Freezer on 01603 772418 or david.freezer@archant.co.uk