The Avenue and Bacchus Marsh bowling clubs are in the process of an official merger, which is set to see players from the Shire of Moorabool move away from competing here in Ballarat.
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The Bacchus Marsh Bowls Club has been established, which is the amalgamation of the Bacchus Marsh Bowling Club and Avenue Bowling Club.
It's understood that council will eventually take control of those two clubs' existing facilities - located in Bacchus Marsh's Lord and Main streets respectively - and build the new entity a facility elsewhere.
To be located in Taverner Street, the planned Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre will include a four-court indoor sports stadium, indoor aquatic centre and regional bowls facility.
According to the proposal on the council website, the bowls facility would include both outdoor and undercover greens, a bistro, a commercial kitchen and bar.
Through recent seasons, Avenue has competed in the Ballarat District Bowls Division, but in 2020-21 the Bacchus Marsh name is being used for both Saturday and Tuesday pennant competitions. Players from both existing clubs are coming together under the merged banner.
For instance, players wearing both Bacchus Marsh and Avenue shirts took on Buninyong in this week's round of Tuesday Pennant.
The new club also competes in metropolitan competitions, with players able to interchange between that league and the BDBD.
Avenue chairman Peter Kay told The Courier that next season all of the Bacchus Marsh Bowls Club's weekend and midweek pennant teams would compete in the metro league. This would see a complete move away from the Ballarat ranks.
He said the regional bowls facility would become the new home for the Bacchus Marsh Bowls Club.
"They are currently designing it right now," Kay said.
"The concept is going to be three greens, with two of the greens having a roof over the top."
This weekend, Bacchus Marsh will be back in action for the final round of the Saturday Pennant season before the break over Christmas.
The club's top BDBD side plays in division one and currently sits seventh on the ladder heading into the weekend's battle with Midlands.
Bacchus Marsh's leading team in the BDBD Tuesday Pennant competes in the premier division, with that competition to wind up for 2020 after next week's sixth round.
