Tim Thorning was raised on the greens where his father played lawn bowls. Now, the Gunnedah-based youngster is making a name for himself in the sport as one of the brightest young talents in NSW.
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The 14-year-old shone for the NSW at the School Sport Australia Under 18s Bowls Championship in Victoria recently, where he won all six of his matches.
As a result of his performance and NSW's series win, Thorning was named in the Australian Schoolboys merit team.
His father, Scott, was unsurprised that his son had earned this latest accolade, and credited it to his growing maturity.
"He's always had a bit of ability," Scott said.
"Now he's just maturing a bit. He's getting older and a bit smarter at what he does."
Thorning grew up on a bowls green. As a toddler, he would "sit on the right side of the green ... get an old set of bowls out and start thumping them up and down the grass", Scott said.
He started playing competitively at around eight years old, and has rapidly climbed the ranks to become one of the most talented prospects of his age group in the state.
Thorning's biggest advantage as a bowler, according to his father, is his ability to remain unruffled throughout a game.
"He doesn't let too much get to him, that's the thing. He's pretty laidback," Scott said.
But Thorning has not made his recent progress alone. Several experienced bowlers, including Dylan Eather, Sam Pryor, and Nathan Wise, have shared their knowledge with the youngster, which his father believes has been instrumental in his development.
As well as a career-best performance, Thorning's recent wins in Victoria were a statement after he narrowly missed out on state age group selection earlier this year.
"He missed out on getting picked for the Bowls NSW side, and that's what spurred him on," Scott said.
"He was a bit unlucky and ... unfortunately he was on the wrong side of [the selection].
"That really disappointed him."
Thorning more than redeemed himself against Victoria, but was caught off-guard by his national selection.
"I don't think he knew about it [until it happened] to be honest," Scott said.
"It was a bit of a shock."
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