Bowling in Novi Bečej has a long and rich tradition, and there is no doubt that Bowling Club "Jedinstvo" deserves a monograph worthy of its numerous team and individual achievements.
For years, I have been gathering material for a book about this sports collective, which will mark its 60th anniversary under the name "Jedinstvo" in 2012.

The beginning of bowling, as a sport in which a ball is used to knock down pins placed at a certain distance on a lane, is considered to be 1769, when an attempt was made in Germany to create unified rules. However, it began as an organized sport in 1885, when the German Bowling Club Association (Deutscher Keglerbund) was established in Dresden, quickly bringing together 220 clubs.

The numerous bowling alleys in Novi Bečej’s cafes confirm that this sport was a beloved pastime for the residents of the town on the Tisa. The oldest alley in the area is certainly the one at the “Sokolac” mansion near Novi Bečej, built in the 19th century. This single-lane bowling alley (shown in the picture) could still be functional today with minor adaptations and could serve as an interesting tourist attraction. The existence of a bowling alley in the mansion confirms that bowling was a favorite game of the aristocracy.

At the beginning of 1975, thanks to local self-contribution funds, the construction of the Workers' Home in Novi Bečej began, which included a four-lane automatic bowling alley. The construction of this significant facility took less than 16 months, and the official opening was held on October 1, 1976.

The new bowling alley soon became the venue for numerous official competitions, with a true spectacle taking place: a two-match series between the junior and senior teams of Yugoslavia and Hungary, held from March 18 to 20, 1977.
This friendly encounter was marked by Nikola Dragaš, then the best bowler in Yugoslavia, with a record of 997 pins, a feat that would remain unmatched for many years.

In Novi Bečej, even before the establishment of the Yugoslav Bowling Federation in Belgrade, there was already a very active bowling section. There is no written record of when the bowling section was originally formed, but based on documentation preserved and made available by the well-known collector from Novi Bečej, Andre Karolj, it is evident that since 1948, within the Unified Physical Culture Society “Zvezda,” in Vološinovo (the post-war name for Novi Bečej), alongside football, basketball, table tennis, swimming, and chess sections, there was also a very active bowling section.

With the construction of a new bowling alley in the Workers’ Hall “Jovan Veselinov Žarko”, bowling experienced significant growth and gained great popularity in Novi Bečej. At the end of the 1970s, numerous competitions were organized as part of workers’ sports activities, and as many as forty teams participated in municipal championships held during the winter period.

The historical events surrounding the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the establishment of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on April 27, 1992, also had a significant impact on sports competitions.

The final match of the championship in Novi Sad brought a true sporting drama, filled with numerous changes of momentum and uncertainty until the very last throws. The question of the winner was decided only in the closing moments, when the Jedinstvo DEKO women’s bowling team showed great character and secured a historic title.

From the Journalist’s Notebook

By finishing second in the First A Federal League in the 1999/2000 season, behind Novi Sad’s SPC Vojvodina, the women’s bowling team of Jedinstvo from Novi Bečej achieved the greatest success in the club’s history up to that point and earned the right to participate in the European Cup, the second most important European club competition.

The journey that began a historic chapter

At the beginning, the list of potential travelers to Skopje included around twenty names. However, as the departure date approached, members of the club’s presidency who had planned to travel gradually withdrew. Even on the day of departure, October 9, it was still uncertain who would accompany the women’s bowling team.

October 11, 2000

Dear listeners of Radio Novi Bečej, warm greetings from Skopje, where the European Cup in bowling began today. The prestigious competition brings together teams from several European countries, including the women's team of Bowling Club Jedinstvo from Novi Bečej and the men's team of Red Star Belgrade.

Jedinstvo Maintains Second Place at the European Cup

From the journalist’s notebook

During the second competition day of the European Cup in women’s bowling, held in Skopje, listeners of Radio Novi Bečej followed the performances of the Jedinstvo team and their fight for a place in the final stage of the competition.

Morning Report

During the morning session, Ivana Eremić, the fifth player of Jedinstvo Novi Bečej, took to the lanes. The pressure of the occasion was evident, as nervousness affected both her performance and final score.

After the great success in the semi-final, the excitement reached its peak. There was little time for celebration, as everyone eagerly awaited October 14 – the day of the European Cup final. I had the impression that my roommate, Laslo Makra, had barely closed his eyes throughout the entire night.

We begin our second report of the day with wonderful news – after the second round, the bowlers of Jedinstvo took over the leading position in the standings.

Once again, Andrea Vaš delighted everyone with an outstanding performance. She played in great style, and after the first 50 throws the scoreboard showed an impressive 225 pins. Just like in her previous appearance, Andrea produced a dramatic finish. In her penultimate throw, she knocked down nine pins, causing a wave of excitement among the spectators, where we also had tremendous support from the home crowd. She finished her performance with an excellent score of 435 pins.

Phenomenal, fantastic – an athlete among athletes, Đenđi Kiš played, we can freely say, the match of her life!

You simply had to see the moment when Biserka Perman reached out her hand to our Đenđi. It is true that the Croatian player was better on the day, knocking down 459 pins, while our Đenđi knocked down 455. However, with a nine-pin advantage, we managed to hold on to first place.