They say you’ll never work a day in your life if you follow your passion.

But for Jackson Morgan, his passion only began once he started work as a teenager.

Picking up a part-time job at the Star Bowl lanes has been a staple of many adolescent lives since the Shepparton bowling alley opened up in 1963, but for Morgan, it was the venture that uncovered a hidden talent.

After plunging a ball down the lane competitively for the first time only four years ago, Morgan finds himself representing the state of Victoria in Queensland next week in the TBA21 National Masters, a bowling tournament for the best players under 21 years of age in the country.

It all began with a chance opportunity to join a bowling program when he began work at Oz Tenpin Shepparton and it was a sign not to be spared.

Although, Morgan said he joined initially for a bit of fun.

“When I was 15, I got a job here at Star Bowl, and they had a program called 10 for 10, which is where you bowl 10 weeks and get a bowling ball out of it at the end,” Morgan said.

But the 19-year-old quickly had more strikes to his name than a shoddy baseball batter, and as his skills and enjoyment for the sport grew, he signed up for the Thursday night Sundowners league.

A couple of years later, the stars would align again for the teenage prodigy and would lead to a pivotal day in Morgan’s bowling career.

The day he realised that whoever you think you are, he is.

“It was last year at what's called the Le Page Memorial held in Shepparton, an event for the top 16 averages of the league,” Morgan said.

“I came in at number 16, so I was the last one in.

“I got second in the tournament.”

Morgan’s underdog performance sparked the realisation he had the talent to achieve lofty ambitions.

Not only that, it made him aware he has an undeniable clutch gene.

Morgan has achieved a perfect game in bowling three times, the latest score of 300 in February.

It occurred in this year’s Le Page Memorial event, in a must-win game to secure a spot in the final.

Morgan stood up to the lane and delivered a flawless effort.

The TBA21 National Masters included a range of events in last year’s competition, with singles, doubles and team matches played across the two-day fixture.

Morgan’s ability to deliver in high-pressure moments suggests he won’t bow to the heat of the moment in Queensland next week when represents his state for the first time.

Already he has had to earn his spot through a tense competitive trial in Epping to book his place in Victoria’s team.

So when Morgan’s greatest challenge yet arrives, the Shepparton bowling machine won’t shy away from the moment.

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Monday, 18th September 2023

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