Bowls SA Super League: Cooper Hocking, 12, youngest player selected at inaugural draft
HE’S not your typical lawn bowler, but 12-year-old Cooper Hocking is already making his mark on the sport as the youngest player selected for Bowls SA’s new Super League.
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SCOTT Hocking was torn between proud dad and disappointed coach when his son Cooper was plucked just before he could take him in the inaugural SA Super League bowls draft.
Cooper, 12, made history when he was the youngest player selected at the draft earlier this month, picked at number 29 by Northern Knights.
“He was on my radar but the Northern Knights grabbed him just before I could,” says Scott, who coaches rival team Heysen Comets.
“I did shoot a pretty good glare across the table when it happened.
“I was caught in two emotions — one as a really proud dad and another of disappointment that we didn’t get him.”
Coaches of the eight regional franchises gathered for the draft and were required to select at least three members of each gender and a minimum of two under-18s among their six selections.
The draft picks were in addition to six marquee players already selected from each of their city and country-zoned clubs.
Scott, of Hope Valley, mistakenly thought there was enough talent in the pool of under-18 players for Cooper to slip through to his pick.
“I called him almost straight after to tell him what had happened and he was silent on the end of the phone,” Scott says.
“But once I explained how big an opportunity it was for him to just be picked, he came around.”
In 2013 Cooper made history when he became the youngest person to play in a senior Bowls SA pennant competition.
Cooper, who plays at Adelaide Bowling Club with Scott, says he is just happy to be picked. “I was very excited and it will be a good opportunity to learn some new skills from the best players in SA,” Cooper says.
“It will be pretty good to play against him and his team.
“We’ve got some good players so hopefully we can win.”
The new six-week winter tournament — aimed at improving player pathways and creating a new image for the sport — begins under the all-weather dome at Salisbury Bowling Club on July 27.
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