but the women here most of whom are homemakers and in their late thirties are contesting out of sheer passion for the sport i started off with bowling as a hobby on weekend jaunts with my husband and children the fact that we are representating our country on an international level doesnt help says smita choudhary 29 who has taken up bowling as a fulltime career we need to constantly update our bowling kits where a box of pins alone is priced at rs 1500020000 says chitra subramanium 28 a software professional from chennai besides it has long been considered as just another form of entertainment for yuppies would she let her win we might juggle work and kids and put in our very best out here but the difference shows when we play abroad says the 38yearold housewife from chennai there are other hurdles there are clubs which have bad infrastructure or substandard equipment but are still not willing to reduce their charges the 31yearold housewife and mother of three will put to rest among other things the concept of bowling being just a teenage pastime athica who has represented india in the 2001 amf world cup and the 2002 commonwealth games is competing against her own daughter 18yearold sanah for the national championship this year but playing it as a sport means putting in hours of nonstop practice something that could leave a hole in your pocket as its an expensive game new delhi resident anuradha sarda 42 bowling suffers from the same drawbacks that most sports other than cricket dolack of sponsors petty politics and lack of recognition says rahim an official coach to impart training for international level competitions would also be a great help says threetime national champion sabina athica single game with 10 frames costs over rs 175 in any bowling club in the city with the rates going as high as rs 225 on weekends couldnt agree more everything about the game costs a bomb the style with which you play either straight spin or hooked makes a lot of difference to your score she adds a mumbai when nikhat rahim sets a ball rolling down the alley at the national tenpin bowling championship at andheri on thursday shell be knocking down more than just 10 pins no way she says