26 minute read
Men's Masters Singles
2022 Men,s Masters Singles Faulkner wins delayed Masters
The rescheduled finals day of the Mount Lawley Mens Masters Singles was held Sunday 12th June. A strong field having previously competed in May when a big storm halted play at the quarter final stage.
Eight players were scheduled to resume in the quarter finals where rain again interrupted play however the event was able to be concluded.
Unfortunately Wagin’s Warren Holt and Gingin’s Stephen Beckwith had withdrawn as they were on the Gold Coast at the Australian Open and Harvey’s David Goddard could not take his place due to contracting Covid. It was a bitter blow for Goddard who had proven to be the surprise packet of the tournament.
The 32yo who has only been bowling for a few seasons looks to have a bright future. He claimed the scalps of Justin Opie and Blake Nairn before Covid ruined his chances.
The completion of the quarter finals saw Joondalup’s Jimmy Buchanan after a slow start get up to beat Eaton’s Robert Bowron 25-23. The second of the quarter finals that resumed between Doubleview’s Gavin Faulkner and Meadow Spring’s Mike Lee resulted in a win for Gavin 25-19 and direct entry into the final.
Doubleview’s John Slavich moved through as his opponent winning the only semi final played, John played a great game to beat Jimmy Buchanan 25-17.
The all Doubleview final saw Gavin and John locked at 5 all in the early stage of the game. Gavin then had a very productive run of ends and moved out to lead 18-8.
When John won the mat he played a handful of ends tee to tee and in the very windy conditions drew within a couple of shots before Gavin played a great third bowl to win the end and get hold of the mat leading 18-16.
Gavin changed the length, back to his preferred short ends and went on to win 25-18.
The win obviously meant a lot to him as he was able to emulate his late father Neville Faulkner who had won the same event back in 1992.
• Gavin Faulkner with John Slavich.
The final finished under lights which was appropriate as the event was Sponsored by Stiles Electrical and B Green where the final was played did not have any lights until installed in March this year.
Mt Lawley Bowling Club thanks all the players who participated especially the finalists who battled some tough conditions and looks forward to hosting the event once again in 2023.
• Clive Adams
2022
Annual Awards Night BowlsWA crowns season,s best
by AARON DELAPORTE
• Doug Kelly
The Bowls WA Awards Night Dinner was held at the Royal Perth Golf Club on Friday 3rd June with 170 people in attendance as the best performers on and off the green were recognised for the 2021/2022 season.
The voice of bowls Clive 'Rinkside Live' Adams was back in the MC role hosting the presentations and interviewing the winners of the respective awards through-out the evening.
Bowls WA President Doug Kelly welcomed the packed room whilst reflecting on what had been another challenging but rewarding year for the sport. He also made special mention on the passing of previous President Larry Bandy and his great contribution to Bowls WA along with recognising the various contributions made by those in room which included Sponsors, Board members and staff, committee members, club representatives, volunteers, coaches, officials and players.
Geoff Baker MLA South Perth was the special guest for the evening who made mention of the importance of bowls clubs and the sport of bowls to the community within WA along with the state governments continued commitment to funding through grants for clubs which helped improve facilities within clubs. Geoff later came back to the stage to help present the Metropolitan Club of the Year Awards.
The highlight of the evening was the induction of Kathy Gobbart into the Bowls WA Hall of Fame, the 39th person to receive this honour. Over a long and illustrious career Kathy had won numerous major titles and represented WA including being part of the Australian Side Series Champions team in 2011. Kathy showed in the recent season she is still a big force on the green winning the Women’s Country Week Singles and the Champion of Club Champions Singles. She was also presented with the Penny Needham Brooch as Women’s Country Bowler of the Year, which is now the sixth time she has won it. In possibly the biggest spread ever at an Awards dinner, thirteen different clubs were either recognised or had individuals who claimed awards.
This included Patsy Smith from Halls Head who claimed the inaugural Club Official of the Year Award, Marilyn Bradbury from Merriwa AFA Club Coach of the Year and Carol Lee at Victoria Park Carlisle with Volunteer of the Year in what was undoubtedly the toughest category to judge with many excellent nominations put forward.
David Downey and Hailey Packer both from Manning Bowling Club were presented with their respective Presidents medal and brooch on the night for winning the blue-ribbon Championship State Singles.
It was no surprise to then see Manning announced as Club of the Year having won both Men’s and Women’s Premier League titles, their on green achievements were exceptional however the club also continues to work hard on many aspects off the green which no doubt contribute to their success.
Mt Lawley who returns to Premier League some sixty years after previous being there were celebrated as the Small Metropolitan Club of the Year, the club achieve a remarkable seven pennant promotions plus were extremely active off the green. Their lighting project was recognised by President Terry Conley who stole the fashion stakes wearing a bright pink jacket which represents the legacy of a life member of the club whom he honoured on the night.
Brookton and Gingin Bowling Clubs were recognised as the top country clubs for the season with Emu Point’s Matthew Mitchell the Men’s Country Bowler of the Year whilst Blake Nairn won his second Rosenthal Medal with another outstanding season.
Mosman Park’s Lisa Featherby took her first Women’s Bowler of the Year title in what was a superb season in which she played in the finals of six major events. Some great recognition for Lisa after plenty of hard work to achieve these results.
In summary from all the acceptance speeches and comments made on the night it was clear to note that bowls still really is a community sport where clubs rely heavily on the teamwork and willingness of their volunteer members to pitch in and contribute to the success whilst many individuals rely on the support of teammates and their clubs.
In addition, its family loved ones who often make sacrifices so that those with a passion for the sport can play or contribute within their clubs as many award winners recognised the significance of those people who were specially thanked for the enormous support they play.
Awards Night 2022
Under 18s Bowler of the Year Callum looks to have bright future
The first award presented at the Bowls WA Awards Night was for the Under 18 Bowler of the Year. The recipient is possibly the youngest ever to grace the stage at an official Awards Dinner with the very promising junior Callum Alberti from South Perth who is just 13 years old being named the winner.
Callum appears to have an extremely bright future in bowls given he claimed the Under 18 Singles and Pairs in the same year whilst also having a very successful pennant season with his club South Perth, finishing as the highest ranked played in the 1st Blue South competition with 13 wins and just four losses. Callum also showed he is a very mature person for his age, setting a high benchmark for acceptance speeches on the night when interviewed by Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams.
A huge fan of the Perth Suns Callum is setting his sights on a good performance for WA at the upcoming Nationals where he is sure to be part of the Under 18 WA State Team. Although the team is yet to be announced Callum will surely be joined by Segan Pasalich who was also a finalist for the Award and finished runner-up in the Singles to Callum whilst partnering with him to win the Pairs. A keen sportsman who also enjoys basketball Callum is keen to push for a Premier League position at South Perth where he can join his father Tyrone in the top grade competition and hopes to continue to improve on his game in future years.
Callum made special mention of his parents who have strongly supported him with his bowls and cheekily noted that his dad told him to say that.
He also thanked his many South Perth teammates who had been very encouraging and helpful along with his friendly adversary and pairs partner Segan Pasalich who had pushed him hard in the singles.
• Callum Alberti.
In what may now become tradition for a Bowls WA Award function following his Award Callum then become part of the official on stage duties helping the various award presenters through out the night with winners’ envelopes, badges, brooches, and trophies as they came to the stage for announcements.
Its fair to say that Callum now has the bowls world at his feet with many more championship events and awards within his grasp if he keeps working hard on his game and displaying the terrific attitude and play that has got him to this stage. Congratulations once again to Callum, our Under 18 Bowler of the Year.
Awards Night 2022
A role that often requires long hours and certainly dedication to the sport Bowls WA was pleased for the first time to recognise the Club Officials who contribute so much to our game with the inaugural Club Official of the Year Award.
The award is directed towards the Match Committee and Umpires of our clubs that enable the vast majority of bowlers to simply to turn up and play.
The winner has spent not only the previous season in both these roles but many years, that person being Patsy Smith from Halls Head Bowling Club.
Bowls WA Board Member Vince Del Prete presented Patsy with her trophy on the night.
Patsy said her journey as an umpire basically started out through educating herself around the rules of the game, adding that her husband pointed out when she took on the role of Vice Captain after just a few years playing that she should get a rule book and learn the rules if she wanted to do the job properly.
“So I did that but I wasn’t an umpire and I really did study that book, so much that I thought I knew my rules really well.”
“We had very experienced bowlers who sometimes disagreed with me, so I thought I better do my umpires course.” Which of course added the credence she needed when issues around the rules arose.
As Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams noted Patsy has been an umpire for many, many, years with her knowledge no longer in question.
Patsy has also worked hard to help not only her club but many others in developing a software program called PAMI which assists in generating draws for round robin carnivals, she has worked on Match Committee at her club understanding the importance of how competitions are run successfully.
She also noted that the club has a big project happening at the moment, specifically around mentoring, etiquette, and helping new bowlers.
• Patsy Smith.
Something which she is helping with, and feels is very important for her club given how large it has grown. A tremendous contributor to our sport and a well deserved winner as our first Club Official of the Year we say well done once again to Patsy Smith.
Awards Night 2022
Volunteer of the Year Carol Lee our top Volunteer
We all know that the most important part of our sport are volunteers as they are the life blood of our clubs. This year many nominations were received and the judges had a difficult choice so it's worth reminding everyone of the finalists and congratulating them all for their efforts. The finalists being: Albert Parravicini Bayswater Patricia Wardell-Johnson Ellenbrook Richard Young Hilton Park Peter Barrow Manning Ken McCabe North Perth Joan Bradshaw Scarborough Carol Lee Victoria Park Carlisle
Bowls WA Board Member Vince Del Prete had the pleasure of announcing the winner noting the massive amount of work volunteers do within sport and recognising that National Volunteers Week had only just occurred.
Strong applause surrounded the room when Vince read out the winner’s name as Carol Lee from Victoria Park Carlisle. Carol has been a stalwart at her club for many years or as Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams stated, “Put simply you’re the rock of Victoria Park Carlisle. There is barely a task you don’t do with just a few of them over the years being Tournament Director, Club Secretary, Council Liaison, Policy maker and Student program supervisor, so just about everything imaginable.”
So just why does Carol do so much at her club? Carol responded by saying “Well ever since I started playing bowls I’ve been involved in volunteering and running events. I was a teacher originally, so I guess it comes naturally. We have been running the Touch of Style for a very long time and it’s a great event and I just love everyone coming.”
• Carol Lee.
When speaking of her club she added, “It’s a great club, and I felt that I’ve helped move it along the tracks. Particularly this year when we had a bit of damage to the green, we had to go to Como to play and it really brought the club together. Everyone has hopped in and helped, and it’s just been really marvellous.”Carol also mentioned and recognised many of the other contributors at the club, most of them being at the Awards night to support and help celebrate her achievement.
Clive Adams asked Carol to sum up what it means to be a volunteer and their importance, noting Carol has been a great one, one of many hundreds in WA clubs.
“When I have meetings with councils and other community groups they ask, so how many days of the week do you work? and I say well I’m here every day and they say, how much do you get paid? and I say nothing, I just enjoy being part of the club and helping the club survive and I’m sure that is why all the volunteers do it in every club. Clubs don’t survive without volunteers,” said Carol.
It is without doubt Victoria Park Carlisle is very lucky to have a person such as Carol Lee and we congratulate her on winning the Volunteer of the Year Award.
Awards Night 2022
Club Coach of the Year Marilyn, outstanding Club Coach
The Bowls WA Club Coach of the year was presented by State Academy Coach Linda Warburton, one of the many great coaches we have in WA. As we know coaches play an extremely crucial role in our sport and we thank all the club coaches for the outstanding work they do.
This year’s recipient was Merriwa AFA’s Marilyn Bradbury who was perhaps the most surprised of all the award winners on the night and was barely able to speak at times given how excited and overwhelmed she was to win the award.
Marilyn was also pleased to be interviewed by Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams who she noted presented her with her club coaching accreditation after she successfully completed the required course to become a club coach.
Her passion for coaching is very evident with Marilyn taking on a range of bowlers but perhaps her specialty has come in the form of coaching for players who are transitioning to bowling arms.
This coaching has been really important at her club which also doubles as a retirement village and has many older players who have kept active in the game through her guidance with the use of the Bowlers Arm.
Marilyn herself is an accomplished bowler having won the club singles six times. Marilyn has won the singles title with and without the use of an 'arm', so is well qualified to coach both forms of the game.
She started coaching in October 2017, and rather than having set coaching times, she fits in with the players' schedule. "I like one-to-one sessions and after each one I keep a record of how the player is going and what we have worked on."
Marilyn has one burning ambition and that is to teach the game to children and hopes to bring that to fruition by getting the grandchildren of current Merriwa members to try it out.
In that way she hopes the parents might also be interested, which could be a means of attracting new players.
Marilyn although short on words summed it up best when she said, “I just love my bowls and I just love helping people.”
• Marilyn Bradbury.
• Marilyn Bradbury with Gavan Ebsworth at the Bowls WA Awards Night.
Awards Night 2022
Men,s O60s Bowler of the Year Eagles soars as best male O60s
An exceptionally consistent season saw Sorrento’s Bruce Eagles named as the Male Over 60s Bowler of the Year winning the Trevor Barron Award at the Bowls WA Awards Night.
Presented by Bowls WA CEO Ken Pride on behalf of Life Member and Past President Trevor Barron it was noted Bruce had won the award by a fair margin given his exceptional year. Bruce won the Men’s Over 60s Singles and reached the semi final in every Over 60s event which included the Men’s Pairs, Triples and Mixed Pairs becoming the first player to ever do so.
Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams was straight to the point when chatting with Bruce asking him, “What’s the secret?” Bruce’s reply was, “I try to look after myself, I practice a lot and I enjoy the game immensely.”
Bruce who was a relatively late comer to the sport has really excelled in recent years winning the Men’s State Pairs in 2020 with teammate Greg Taylor, someone who he has forged a great partnership with along with his other Sorrento teammates who have supported him.
The Over 60’s events are of course an important part of the bowls calendar and as Bruce pointed out being in the mid seventies age wise it provides a highly competitive series of events which people can aim at later in life. However, it is also a good event for building friendships making it a beautiful space in which to play bowls, to use Bruce’s own words. Bruce saved his final thanks to Graeme Whitehorn who he labelled a superb friend, mentor and encourager along the way and someone instrumental to his development as a player from when he started at Sorrento Bowling Club just over a decade ago. Congratulations once again to Bruce Eagles on a fantastic season and the Trevor Barron Award winner as the most Outstanding Men's Over 60s Bowler of the Year.
• Bruce Eagles.
Awards Night 2022
Women,s O60s Bowler of the Year Andersen – a true star recognised
Mosman Park’s Kerry Andersen the Women’s Over 60’s Award for best bowler of the year receiving the Norma Samuel Trophy for a third time in another very successful season. Bowls WA CEO Ken Pride presented the award to his exboss on behalf of Norma who was unfortunately unable to attend. He did pass on her apologies noting that Norma loved attending the Bowls WA Awards Night and only poor health had prevented her being at Royal Perth Golf Club for the prestigious evening.
Like her male counterpart Bruce Eagles, Kerry was extremely active in the later stages of major events for the 2021/22 season. Her accolades include Winner of the Women’s Over 60s Pairs, Runner up in the Women’s Over 60s Singles and Women’s Over 60s Triples, Winner of the Women’s State Triples and Semi-finalist in the Women’s State Singles and Women’s State Pairs.
Kerry was quick to recognise her teammates and good friends in particular Linda Warburton and Lee Poletti who very much contributed to her success in the team events during the year.
• Kerry Andersen.
Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams noted that Kerry has pretty much done it all in bowls both on and off the green as since retiring as Bowls WA President she had moved into a role as Head of High Performance with Bowls WA and posed the question of what was next. Kerry responded by saying, “God willing I hope I will be here for a bit longer, I just enjoy my bowls and I will do whatever I can to help the game in WA.”A statement which surely epitomises her attitude to playing and volunteering with our sport.
Kerry also acknowledged her club Mosman Park where she has many friends, noting the terrific club camaraderie and community spirit that exists, of which she is very grateful to be apart of.
A true star of our sport we once again congratulate Kerry Andersen as the Women’s Over 60s Bowler of the Year.
Awards Night 2022
Hall of Fame Kathy Gobbart enters Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is the highest honour a player can achieve in the sport of bowls in Western Australia. Eligibility into the Hall of Fame is restricted to players who have represented WA at National level or Australia at International level.
Hall of Fame Inductee’s must be of exemplary character and will have made a significant contribution to the promotion of the sport, so it is reserved for the very best our game has seen.
Kerry Andersen on behalf of the Hall of Fame Committee which includes Hall of Fame members Beryl Godfrey and Steve Srhoy was pleased to announce the 39th Inductee, a friend and often worthy adversary on the green for Kerry, Kathy Gobbart.
Kathy’s career in the sport in both long and distinguished. She first rose to prominence winning the WA Country Bowler of the Year in 1995 after claiming the Country Week Singles and has been a regular finalist and winner since then and most recently she won another Country Week Singles and Champion of Club Champions Singles this year. She represented WA on 154 occasions and played for Australia in the Trans-Tasman Development side.
She has won five state titles including the 1999 State Singles and seven Country Week titles.
A remarkable career which is truly worthy of recognition alongside the champions of our sport. Kathy began her bowls at Dandaragan before moving to Gingin which is where she is most well known but also had a few years playing at Sorrento Bowling Club.
Along with recognising the many great players she was joining, some of which she had played with or against it was her family that really gave her the desire and support to be the great competitor on the greens that she would become.
Kathy recalled on the night. “My journey to become a competitive bowler began when I was born into a family of highly competitive boys who excelled at most sports, and I had to fight to get a look in. I was seen to be a little four-foot girl with a pole vault stick trying to compete with my brothers who were flying over great heights. My father always said that I was his toughest child as I would never give up. After returning from New Zealand with my son and when he started kindy, my mother suggested that I play bowls. My main concern was the outfit as I had just met my late husband and I thought that if he saw me in ‘the outfit’ it would have been a definite deterrent. This wasn’t the case as Colin became a great supporter of my bowls as does my husband Norm now. “My club mates and friends have always been very supportive, some of them are here with me tonight.”
• Kerry Andersen with Kathy Gobbart.
And of course, you don’t win these things without having people support you in the game. I have been lucky in Singles but also, I’ve had some team event successes and I look at people here who have helped me along the way.” Kathy added acknowledging those who had supported and helped contribute to her success, along with thanking Bowls WA for the Induction into the Hall of Fame.
Kathy whilst largely acknowledged as a terrific player also contributes to the game via coaching something which she has been very active with in helping the next generation of players come through, particularly around the country areas in the Northern Zone.
We salute a champion of our game in Kathy Gobbart and say well done on an amazing career in the game.
HALL of FAME 2022 KATHY GOBBART
National • Australian Development Trans-Tasman 2001 and 2002 State • WA Representative 154 games • Australian Sides Series 2011 • WA Country Bowler of the Year 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2008 and 2022 • Champion of Club Champions Singles 2022 • Singles Champion 1999 • Pairs Champion 1988 and 2009 • Triples Champion 1999 and 2013 • Country Week Singles Champion 1995, 2007 and 2022 • Country Week Pairs Champion 2008 • Country Week Fours Champion 2008, 2011 and 2012
Awards Night 2022
Metro Club of the Year Manning our Metro Club of the Year
After what can only be described as an amazingly outstanding season Manning Memorial Bowling Club were announced as the Metropolitan Club of the Year for season 2021/22.
Announced by MLA Geoff Baker this award is presented to the club adjudged most outstanding during the season. The criteria to be successful includes on green performance in Pennants and participation by members in State Championships along with off green achievements and community participation by the club.
On the green Manning had no peer this year winning both the Men’s and Women’s Premier League Metropolitan Pennant plus the Men’s Premier South Midweek Pennant flag along with both the State Singles titles with Hailey Packer and David Downey who were separately recognized on the night. All their pennant teams featured high up on the ladder.
Manning may boost a lot of quality performers but the team success does not just magically happen as incoming President Steve Salamon made clear on the night.
“These achievements are a credit to the people we have got at Manning, every single one of the players, Men’s and Ladies. We are a very strong club in terms of players, and it meant a lot of people play a lot lower than they might at another club but they take it on board, play where we ask them to play, never whined or complained did the job and the results speak for themselves.”
The club runs a very successful Jack Attack program originally started by Matt and Kate Mitchell which means the club always has the next good bowler at the club.
“Its just a platform for people who then become involved in the more serious side of bowls. They start playing Jack Attack on a Wednesday night or people join us and start playing in the winter, we have some outstanding coaches who get these people into bowls, get them playing good bowls and get them ready to join the pennant sides and add value to what we have already got,” said President Steve.
Off the green the club has been equally hard at work. Thanks to the City of South Perth the club is currently completing a full upgrade of its toilet facilities along with upgrading all the furniture with a view to modernising the club house.
Outside there have been further upgrades will lighting on the C and D greens, the new LEDs available with not only provide better and brighter coverage but reduce the power costs involved. “Its like playing in daylight now and we hope to get some more activities happening on a summers evening increasing participation in the club,” added Steve.
• Steve Salaman accepts award on behalf of the Manning Club.
Of special mention by Master of Ceremonies Clive Adams was the World Record set by Manning member Shane Knott who not only bowled for 30 hours straight against an array of players but also raised a significant amount of money for charity towards Men’s Mental Health in doing so.
Steve made a special mention to the outgoing President Greg Hogg. “Greg guided us through a tough period of covid, a very difficult time. Along with his executive they performed a tough job and did it extraordinary well. The clubs is in a very healthy position so to him and his team congratulations,” said Steve before closing with these remarks.
“To the members of Manning congratulations to everyone of them, absolutely fantastic people but I want to make a special mention to Peter Bowden. When I joined the club they were struggling in third division and they got Peter to the club, he turned the club around. He built the culture we have got today, the culture of success, the culture of inclusion, and the culture of participation, so thank you Pete – the club is where it’s at because of you,” referring to the clubs long time coach and motivator.
