King Pins: ‘I went to a first-of-a-kind bowling alley in Yorkshire - but it wasn’t the bowling I’d return for’

Roxy Ballroom started in Leeds in 2013, renowned for its ‘ball games and booze,’

Now, the creators of Roxy have opened a family-friendly alternative - King Pins at the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds.

Our reporter took her family for a look inside Yorkshire’s first King Pins.

Roxy Leisure, the firm behind Roxy Ballroom, opened its seventh King Pins venue on Friday (August 15).

Mistakenly, when I heard of King Pins, I assumed it was the JD Sports of bowling alleys - it was another bowling alley with a refreshed black and yellow brand.

King Pins’ entertainment includes tenpin and duckpin lanes, ice-free curling, shuffleboard, tech darts, pool, and a range of arcade games.

It is in the place of the former Marks and Spencer’s upstairs in the food court area of White Rose.

The bright black and yellow sign immediately catches your attention. As soon as you check in, staff are attending to your every need, excitedly showcasing what’s on offer.

The lights and sound of the multi-entertainment complex are almost overwhelming.

There’s a taste of everything on offer from tenpin bowling or the child-friendly duckpin.

What piqued my interest, however, was ice-free curling. It is something I’d always wanted to try, but as a novice, I hadn’t dared go to a specialist winter sports venue.

Instead, ice-free curling was completely accessible to beginners like me. It was as fun as I had imagined since first watching curling on TV as a child during the Winter Olympics. My intrepid toddler, however, kept attempting to run onto the curling ‘lane.’

Next up was duckpin bowling, it’s like tenpin but with smaller, lighter balls and pins. It’s on a shorter lane and you get three rolls per frame, opposed to tenpin, where you get two rolls.

Duckpin is great for little ones, although it is harder to get a strike. I felt like I was curling again or having a game of boules. I loved it. My toddler did too, although she attempted to use the lighter balls as missiles.

It was a great way to teach her the discipline of bowling without the fear of her dropping a huge ball on her foot.

After a quick game, we played in the amusement arcade, which has a fun photobooth, shooting games, claw machines, and ice hockey tables.

We then had a go at the computerised darts, where you can play golf and other games, while using a traditional darts board and arrows to score points. I felt like Luke Littler and Tiger Woods all in one go.

Meanwhile, we were served food - stone-baked pizza, chicken wings, and fries with a tub of ‘candy’ - an ideal fast-food treat for the young ones.

We didn’t have time to play on the shuffleboards and pool tables as we needed some fresh air. We had already had so much fun for over three hours. I left feeling like I had just been to a concert.

It’s definitely a place I will return with our older kids, and I will certainly be bringing my adult friends to compete with me on the ice-free curling.