JUNE 2023

A NEW WINNER FOR DISTRICT SIDES

CONTENTS

Newly crowned State Singles Champions

Katelyn Inch & Kurt Brown

8 – 2023 State District Sides Championships

5

INDOOR WORLD BOWLS

Queenslanders Aron Sherriff and Kelsey Cottrell steal the show

26 DEVELOPMENT

Editor: Jo Grey

Editorial Assistant: Dee Ayre

Reporters/Photographers: Kelsey Cottrell, Brett Wilkie, Vanessa Bacon-Hall

Contributions to the Bowler: Email your story and photos to media@bowlsqld.org - photos at original size and high-resolution. Photo size when attached to email should be 1MB minimum. We do not accept compressed or low-resolution photos for print.

30

club news

Catch up on news from clubs across Queensland

WINDSOR 100 CLASSIC MEN’S FOURS

Windsor Bowls Club is back on track after the 2022 floods

34 COACHING

18 – 2023 State Championships World Bowls

Coach Dennis discusses the fundamentals of bowls

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Bowls Queensland Patron: Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, Governor of Queensland

2023 WORLD BOWLS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Queensland champions Kelsey Cottrell and Aron Sherriff on their history making win of two gold medals on the final day of the recent 2023 World Bowls Indoor Championships.

It was the duo’s maiden World Bowls Indoor Championship gold medal, and the country’s first title in the mixed pairs discipline, while Cottrell made history becoming the first Australian female to win gold at the Commonwealth Games, World Bowls Championships and World Bowls Indoor Championships. Sherriff made his own history by becoming the first player in the tournament’s history to emerge with gold in both singles and mixed pairs.

The Right at Home Jackaroos duo claimed a tight 5-4 and 6-5 win over Scotland’s Julie Forrest and Michael Stepney in the mixed pairs decider.

In the final match of the Championships, Sherriff had a fight on his hands against New Zealander, Andrew Kelly. Spectacular play from both men forced an eventual shoot-out for the gold title. Skills, years of experience and a bit of luck was to step in for Sherriff in the tiebreak when he was able to set the length, gain control and take the win.

2023 Indoor Championships Medal positions:

Men’s singles:

• G old – Aron Sherriff (Australia)

• Silver – Andrew Kelly (New Zealand)

• Bronze – Martin Puckett (England) & Michael Stepney (Scotland)

Women’s singles:

• G old – Julie Forrest (Scotland)

• Silver – Katelyn Inch (New Zealand)

• Bronze – Amy Williams (Wales) & Nurul Alyani Jamil (Malaysia)

Mixed Pairs:

• G old – Kelsey Cottrell & Aron Sherriff (Australia)

• Silver – Julie Forrest & Michael Stepney (Scotland)

• Bronze – Kirsty Hembrow & Martin Puckett (England) – Alison Merrien MBE & Ian Merrien (Guernsey)

From the President

with BQ’s Peter Williamson

BQ is now at the end of the State District Sides and State Championships. I wish to thank all the clubs on the Sunshine Coast that played host to the players and officials. The work done by BQ staff, match committee, club managements and club members to ensure a smooth running of these events, with so little disruption, is to be commended. The standard of play in all events has been seen to have improved over the past years and, whilst not playing, was enjoyable to watch. The singles gold, silver and bronze medal finals were played with passion and with great respect for each other.

Mayor Mark Jamieson and District President Graham Tanis were in attendance at Coolum Beach Bowls Club to present medals; we also thank Sunshine Coast Councillor Maria Suarez for attending the triples presentation. The live streaming of these events is another important tool being used to give worldwide audiences viewing of bowls in Queensland, put together by BQ and the Gold Coast Tweed Media Team to make it possible.

Notification was received from the Minister’s Office of the Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP, that funding has been made available to BQ for the Active Industry Project Fund. This will support lawn bowls in multiple locations across regional areas i.e., workshops for coaching, umpire courses and other administrative matters.

Aron Sherriff & Kelsey Cottrell

Peter Williamson

Photo courtesy David Allen

CEO REPORT

with BQ’s Brett Wilkie

State District Sides Championships

Well done to winners in each of the five divisions and to all players selected to represent their respective districts.

Thank you to host clubs Coolum Beach, Club Maroochy, Club Kawana, The Waves Caloundra and Tewantin Noosa Bowls Clubs. Thank you to the Sunshine Coast Council and Australian Secure Capital Fund (ASCF) for sponsoring these Championships.

QLD State Championships

Congratulations to all winners/finalists and thank you to those who entered the 11 events. Winners from each event (except Over 60 Pairs) now advance to the Australian Championships to be held in Perth from 17-20 October, 2023.

I must thank the Bowls QLD Match Committee and staff for the time/effort devoted in planning and running the District Sides and State Championships. Also, our Umpire Committee for assisting with the events and Selection Committee for their attendance while on the lookout for potential Queensland representatives. Thank you to Vanessa Bacon-Hall for her media expertise during District Sides and State Championships.

Thank you to Sunshine Coast Council and Coolum Beach Bowls Club for their support of the State Championships. It was great to have the Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson and Councillor Maria Suarez attend presentations during the event.

Thank you to the staff and volunteers at all host clubs during the Championships, and to Coolum Beach for being a fantastic host for all finals.

Thank you to the following event sponsors:

• State Mixed Pairs – Nic Fisher, Harcourts

• State Men’s and Women’s Triples – Nic Fisher, Harcourts

• State Men’s and Women’s Fours – Henselite

• State Over 60 Men’s and Women’s Pairs –Identified Services

Live Streaming

Thank you to the Bowls Gold Coast Tweed Media Team for live streaming every day of the State District Sides and State Championships.

Thank you to all bowlers who shared the streams on Facebook to expose the game to their non-bowling friends and family, this is a great avenue in which to promote our game.

All of our streams are now also live through our YouTube page for those not on Facebook, these can be viewed at anytime here: https://www.youtube. com/@bowlsqld8764/streams

QLD Multi Disability Championships

This event will be held at the Souths Suburban and Mackay City Bowls Clubs from 7-10 August, 2023.

Entries are open for this event and forms are available on the BQ website, entries close on 28 June.

BA RBM Nick Twining Resignation

Nick has resigned from the North QLD Regional Bowls Manager position with Bowls Australia to take up a role as the Club Manager at the Edge Hill Bowls Club in Cairns.

Nick’s last day with BA will be Friday, 9 June. Thank you, Nick, for your assistance with QLD clubs and districts and we wish you all the best in your role with Edge Hill BC.

World Bowls Indoor Singles and Mixed Pairs

Well done to Aron Sherriff on winning gold in the Men’s Singles and to Aron and Kelsey Cottrell on winning the Mixed Pairs event. Well done to Katelyn Inch on claiming silver in the Women’s Singles.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is shaping up to be another great event on the Gold Coast from 10–23 June with record entries received.

Clubs all over the coast will host players from across Australia and overseas in another great promotion for our sport in QLD.

• State Men’s and Women’s Singles – Henselite Proudly sponsored by

Brett

Wilkie

2023 STATE DISTRICT SIDES

DIVISION 1

Women

After being runners-up for the past two years, the Cunningham District women took home the Val Woodward Perpetual Shield this year, reversing the role with the Gold Coast Tweed District Women who had held the shield for the past eight consecutive years.

Cunningham, skipped by Debbie Logan, Teresa Smedley and Jenny Bostock, won 11 out of their 12 games played, going down in the only lost game by one shot.

It was no surprise to Skip Teresa (Tess) Smedley that her Cunningham District were the best performing team of the whole tournament. They were “absolutely amazing, the whole side lifted each other, praised, supported and encouraged each other and were not out there playing for themselves”. With pride, Tess says: “Cunningham is a close knit district and they all get along, have fun, support each other and have a ball. They are an awesome district”.

Winner: Cunningham 6+40; Runner-up: Gold Coast Tweed 4+33. Downs 2-10, Tropical Far North QLD 0-63.

TESS NOTCHES UP 100 GAMES FOR CUNNINGHAM!

Cunningham District’s Tess Smedley is not someone who seeks, or is particularly comfortable with, being in the limelight. So, when she was announced at a Cunningham District Side celebratory and welcoming dinner recently for her achievement of 100 District games her first thought was “Oh, I wonder who would have won that?” and then she realised it was her!

The milestone crept up surprisingly for Tess as, although she has won everything in her district, she doesn’t really get to play a lot of bowls because of work and other commitments, so she mostly plays for fun.

Division 1 winners (women) Cunningham (above) & runner-up Gold Coast Tweed (right)

Tess with her Cunningham Team (Tess is behind Big Ted and is next to her daughter Sheridan, who is holding her baby Avaeyah)

The Gold Coast Tweed District men continued their domination this year, skipped by Dean McWhinney, Gary Pearson, Rob Chesher and Jason Constable. Gateway District finished as runner-up after a close final, with Gold Coast securing their ninth title in a row and Gateway as runner-up 65 to 59.

For Gold Coast Tweed skip, Dean McWhinney, the win “felt good. We have a great team with Gold Coast… we never really

thought it wouldn’t go our way, we have so much depth and are really, really strong even though Gateway did have a very good team.

“Nearly every one of us has played together”, he said. “It was great to play with everyone again - we backed each other up and supported each other. We virtually spent the four days together as a team, between the whole 16 of us, which I think was brilliant.”

Winner: Gold Coast Tweed 6+36; Runner-up: Gateway 4+57. Sunshine Coast Alpha 2-32, Moreton Bay 0-61.

At the same time, for the last couple of years, her third bowls partner has been her daughter, Sheridan Gollan.

Amazingly, Sheridan still filled the role of third for Tess at the recent District Sides after having her baby six weeks prior, juggling competing with feeding her baby and being a new mum! You can hear the pride Tess has when she says Sheridan is a “tough little bowler too, and she is competitive”.

For Tess, it was awesome to be playing with Sheridan, as they play a lot together and thoroughly enjoy it. Tess was about 30 when she first started playing bowls and has been a member at Algester Bowls Club for more than 20 years.

When it comes to her district, Tess says: “We enjoy going away and being in a squad. We go out to have fun on the green, have a ball and winning is a bonus.”

In the District Sides, for Tess and her squad “every bowl is a new bowl, a new end and a new game; you hope you win a game”. Her Cunningham District team won 11 out of their 12 games played, going down in the only lost game by one shot. It was no surprise to Tess that her District were the best performing team of the whole tournament and the top team.

Well done, Cunningham. And well done, Tess!

Division 1 winners (men) Gold Coast Tweed District (above) & runner-up Gateway District (right) Men

Women

The Sunshine Coast Beta women showed their dominance throughout the competition, defeating North Qld, Bundaberg and Sunshine Coast Alpha with ease. Bundaberg’s only loss was to the winning Sunshine Coast Beta team and they went on to secure runner-up position.

Sunshine Coast Beta skip, Nolene Dutton, said: “the win was great. It was obviously disappointing not to be in the Div 1 playoff as I believe we had the bowls to do that. But, it wasn’t meant to be. In saying that, who’s to know if we would’ve won if we got to Division 1. The best part about being in the Div 2 winners circle is that we actually won the Div 2 flag and we are very honoured to have won that.

“It’s been a while since I have represented the Sunshine Coast in Districts, I think the last time was about nine years ago because of work. But this year, I decided I was going to play them all.”

What was a standout for Nolene was “the ability from all the team to come in and play as one and be able to pull off the amazing shots we did. Everyone put in something at some stage… and the good part about our Sunny Coast teams is that we have such good camaraderie and support from each other. We love it that much that we enjoy it and make it fun”.

Winner: Sunshine Coast Beta 6+71; Runner-up: Bundaberg 4-12

Sunshine Coast Alpha 2-16, North QLD 0-43.

Men

Downs men survived a tough game against Bundaberg in the last round to claim runner-up position. Brisbane District men proved themselves strong against all their competition, overcoming Downs by 37 and Fraser Coast by 19 to finish as first place Division 2 winners.

Brisbane Men’s skip, John Newell, said there was some stress when “a couple of earlier losses in the sectionals had cost the team Div 1. However, as a collective, the team stuck together really well and regrouped on the good Tewantin greens to win all three games in the finals of Div 2.”

Winner: Brisbane 6+56; Runner-up: Downs 4-2. Bundaberg 1-14, Fraser Coast 1-40.

Division 2 winners (men) Brisbane District (left) & runner-up Downs District (above)

Division 2 winners (women) Sunshine Coast Beta (left) & runner-up Bundaberg (above)

Women

For the Gateway Women’s squad, it was a sure booking for the Division 3 winner’s spot after they won all three games. Both Brisbane and Mackay Divisions were contenders for the runner-up spot, but, after playing against each other, Mackay came out on top to claim second.

Winner: Fraser Coast 6+40; Runner-up: Burnett 4-4. Moreton Bay 2+9, Southern Downs 0-45.

Men

For the men, it was a close call when North Qld edged over Cunningham by just one shot in the second round. However, their defeat over Condamine then placed them in the runner-up position. Mackay held on to the top spot in the final round over Cunningham, securing their win with a narrow margin of 4 shots.

Winner: Mackay 6+40; Runner-up: North QLD 4-1. Cunningham 2+21, Condamine 0-60.

Division 3 winners (men) Mackay

Division 3 winners (women) Gateway

Division 3 Runner-up (women) Mackay

Division 3 Runner-up (men) North Queensland

DIVISION 4 WINNERS AND RUNNERs-UP

Division 4 winners (women) Fraser Coast (above left) & runner-up Burnett Division (left). Winners (men) Sunshine Coast Bravo (top right) & runner-up Maranoa/Warrego (right)

Winner (women): Fraser Coast 6+40; Runner Up: Burnett 4-4; (Moreton Bay 2+9, Southern Downs 0-45).

Winner (men): Sunshine Coast Bravo 6+57; Runner-up: Maranoa Warrego 4-8; (Tropical Far North QLD 2-19, Port Curtis 0-30).

DIVISION 5 WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP

Division 5 winners (women) Maranoa/Warrego District (above left) & runner-up Port Curtis District (left). Winners (men) North West QLD District (above right) & runner-up Burnett (right)

Winner (women): Maranoa Warrego 6+63; Runner Up: Port Curtis 4+21; (Condamine 2-44, Leichhardt 0-40).

Winner (men): North West QLD 5+14; Runner-up: Burnett 4+25; (Southern Downs 3+18, Central QLD 0-57).

Thank you to all host clubs and event sponsors, Sunshine Coast Council and Australian Secure Capital Fund, for their support of this event. Thank you to the Bowls Gold Coast Tweed Media Team for providing live streaming over the four days.

2023

WOMEN

Division 1 Women

• 1st Cunningham

• 2nd Gold Coast Tweed

Division 2 Women

• 1st Sunshine Coast Beta

• 2nd Bundaberg

Division 3 Women

• 1st Gateway

• 2nd Mackay

Division 4 Women

• 1st Fraser Coast

• 2nd Burnett

Division 5

• 1st Maranoa Warrego

• 2nd Port Curtis

MEN

Division 1 Men

• 1st Gold Coast Tweed

• 2nd Gateway

Division 2 Men

• 1st Brisbane

• 2nd Downs

Division 3 Men

• 1st Mackay

• 2nd Nor th Queensland

Division 4 Men

• 1st Sunshine Coast Bravo

• 2nd Maranoa/Warrego

Division 5

• 1st Nor th West Queensland

• 2nd Burnett Queensland

State District Sides Championships Winners and Runners-up

Southern Downs

Gateway

Fraser Coast

Sunshine Coast Bravo

Gold Coast Tweed

Condamine

Tropical Far North QLD

North QLD

Cunningham

Mackay

Brisbane

Burnett

Downs

North West QLD

Central QLD

Port Curtis

Bundaberg

Sunshine Coast Alpha

Moreton Bay Maranoa/Warrego

Queensland Bowler

Gateway

Port Curtis

Maranoa/Warrego

Downs

Gold Coast Tweed

Burnett

Bundaberg

Brisbane

Fraser Coast

Sunshine Coast Alpha

Leichhardt

Cunningham

Moreton Bay

Southern Downs

Condamine

Sunshine Coast Beta

Mackay

Central QLD

Tropical Far North QLD

North QLD

Queensland Bowler

2023 STATE CHAMPionshipS

By Kelsey Cottrell

The $50,000 2023 State Championships (May 8-21) have been run and won on the Sunshine Coast, thanks to the support of the Sunshine Coast Council and plenty of bowlers from around the state who entered to test themselves against the best of the best in Queensland.

It all started with the popular Mixed Pairs discipline which seems like a life-time ago; the event saw many familiar faces come finals time.

A multiple State Championship winner struck gold again, Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick teamed up with Hamilton’s newest recruit Jane Bush and defeated the strong combination of Janet Healey and Cohen Litfin in a quality contest that went down to the wire.

The blustery conditions added to the complexity of this finals match. When Healey and Litfin were up 13-3, DeJongh-Fitzpatrick and Bush slowly pushed back one shot at a time to pip their competitors by just one shot, claiming the gold with a final score of 17-16.

L-R: Harcourts sponsor Nic Fisher, Mixed Pairs gold medal winners Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick & Jane Bush with BQ’s Gary Costigan

L-R: Mixed Pairs silver medal winners Janet Healey & Cohen Litfin with Nic Fisher and BQ’s Gary Costigan

L-R: Mixed Pairs bronze medal winners Kira Bourke & Jarryd Davies with Nic Fisher and BQ’s Gary Costigan

Photos: Vanessa Bacon-Hall & Brett Wilkie

“We came in to play a long game and we just kept chipping away and won by one!” DeJongh-Fitzpatrick said.

The bronze match saw bowling youngsters Kira Bourke and Jarryd Davies go head-to-head against the mother and son duo of Pauline and Kobe Barton with Bourke and Davies securing the bronze 26-15.

“This was our first time playing Mixed Pairs,” Bourke said. “We did well although obviously were hoping to do better, but we will be back next year.”

Thanks to sponsors Sunshine Coast Council, Club Coolum and Nic Fisher-Harcourts for their support of the State Mixed Pairs event.

Results Mixed Pairs

• G old: Jane Bush & Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick def Janet Healey & Cohen Litfin 17-16

• Bronze: Kira Bourke & Jarryd Davies def Pauline Barton & Kobe Barton 26-15

Triples

Triples was to follow, and unlike the mixed pairs, the triples was an event that helped unearth new talent and see some new faces featuring at the pointy end of the two-day event.

The Helensvale Hawks trio of Isaac Maughan, Gary Gilligan and

Musgrave Hill Pelicans, comprising a couple of kiwi imports.

Roger Stevens (NZ), Dean Drummond (also kiwi heritage) and Peter Brown were surprised to be in the final, but took the opportunity with both hands and romped home with a 24-11 victory.

“This was the first year that we had played in the triples,” Stevens said. “We just scraped through yesterday and we had really tough games and this final game was our biggest win.”

The women’s triples final came down to an extra end, with 50 shots scored over the first 25 ends and never more than a handful of shots separating them throughout the match, a 26th end was required to split these two great

Triples gold medal winners back L-R: Peter Brown, Dean Drummond & Roger Stevens. Front L-R: Gail Crompton, Wendy Wilson & Lauren Schultz

L-R: Sunshine Coast Council’s Cr Maria Suarez, BQ’s Kerry Green with Men’s Triples silver medal winners Jason Constable, Isaac Maughan & Gary Gilligan with Harcourts sponsor Nic Fisher second right

Jason Constable were defeated by the mighty

L-R: Sunshine Coast Council’s Cr Maria Suarez, BQ’s Kerry Green with Men’s Triples bronze medal winners Tomas Nathan, Abdul Latif Karim & Alan Law with Nic Fisher

L-R: Cr Maria Suarez with Women’s Triples silver medal winners Pauline Laverty, Adele Pershouse & Maree Gibbs, Nic Fisher & BQ’s Kerry Green

L-R: Cr Maria Suarez, Nic Fisher with Women’s Triples bronze medal winners Lynsey Clarke, Claire Turley, Kira Bourke & BQ’s Kerry Green

sides. It was Hamilton’s Lauren Schultz, Gail Crompton and Wendy Wilson who snuck over the line against Pauline Laverty, Adele Pershouse and Maree Gibbs 28-25.

“It was a cracker of a game which could have gone any way,” Wilson said. “We were literally shot-for-shot all the way through and we had to play an extra end! The greens are beautiful, but that wind was making it very tricky.”

Congratulations to the bronze medal winners Alan Law, Tomas Nathan and Abdul Latif Karim who defeated Joel Downey, Robert Hammond, Jake Rynne with a tidy 34-25. The women’s game was in the bag right from the beginning, with Kira Bourke, Claire Turley and Lynsey Clarke defeating Jessica Parolin, Leigh Fortington and Maria Rigby by a whopping 21-3. Thanks to sponsors Sunshine Coast Council, Club Coolum and Nic Fisher -Harcourt for their support of the State Triples event.

Results Triples Men

• G old: Roger Stevens, Dean Drummond & Peter Brown def Isaac Maughan, Gary Gilligan & Jason Constable 24-11

• Bronze: Alan Law, Tomas Nathan & Abdul Latif Karim def Joel Downey, Robert Hammond & Jake Rynne 34-25

Results Triples Women

• G old: Wendy Wilson, Gail Crompton & Lauren Schultz def Pauline Laverty, Adele Pershouse & Maree Gibbs 28-25 (25-25 after 25 ends - extra end played)

• Bronze: Kira Bourke, Claire Turley & Lynsey Clarke def Jessica Parolin, Leigh Fortington & Maria Rigby 21-3

FOURS

Fours time, the ultimate test of TEAM. Rarely do we see a State Championships with Broadbeach Bulls not taking home gold, and rarely does Bolivia Millerick go home empty handed. This year is a not a rare phenomenon, the fours delivered for the Gold Coast powerhouse club.

Cheryl Heaps, Karen Goldsworthy, Julie Keegan and Bolivia Millerick were victorious over a composite side comprising sisters Fiona and Nicole Williams, Adele Pershouse and Joan Tennant 24-16. Despite the inclement weather the greens at Coolum Beach were holding up just nicely and allowing the fours finalists to produce top notch bowls for the spectators.

“It was neck-and-neck all the way and our toughest game, which you would expect in a final,” Keegan said. “The other team just played amazingly well. We never felt comfortable, and we never took the game for granted as they were just converting so well.”

Fours gold medal winners back L-R: Steve Hayden, Kane Nelson, Jacob Nelson & Tom Blaszczyk; front L-R: Bolivia Millerick, Karen Goldsworthy, Cheryl Heaps & Julie Keegan

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Keith Wilson with Men’s Fours silver medal winners Adam White, Rohan Wilson, Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick, Brett Wilkie & BQ’s Gary Costigan

L-R: Women’s Fours silver medal winners Fiona Williams, Adele Pershouse, Nicole Williams, Joan Tennant & BQ’s Gary Costigan

Brisbane’s Belmont Services team of Tom Blaszyzck, Steve Hayden, Jacob Nelson and Kane Nelson made life very difficult for their opponents, Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick, Rohan Wilson, Brett Wilkie and Adam White, by jumping out of the blocks with a 17-5 lead after 12 ends. The match got closer and was never out of reach for White’s side, however the boys from Belmont continued to apply the pressure, keep their deficits to a minimum and go on to secure the victory 19-13.

The team “played fantastically well,” Kane Nelson said. “We have made a few finals and won a few silvers, so to finally get over the line is a pretty good feeling. Despite the big lead, it was still nerve-racking.”

Well done to bronze medallists Olivia Rothwell, Lauren Schultz, Gail Crompton, Wendy Wilson in the women and Mark Armstrong, Ben Walsh, Cohen Litfin, Nic Gosley in the men.

Thanks to sponsors Sunshine Coast Council, Club Coolum and Henselite for their support of the State Fours event.

Results Fours Men

• G old: Tom Blaszczyk, Steve Hayden, Jacob Nelson & Kane Nelson def Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick, Rohan Wilson, Brett Wilkie & Adam White 19-13

• Bronze: Mark Armstrong Ben Walsh, Cohen Litfin & Nic Gosley def Joel Downey, John Hammond, Robert Hammond & Jake Rynne 21-10

Results Fours Women

• G old: Cheryl Heaps, Karen Goldsworthy, Julie Keegan & Bolivia Millerick def Fiona Williams, Adele Pershouse, Nicole Williams & Joan Tennant 24-16

• Bronze: Ollivia Rothwell, Lauren Schuz, Gail Crompton & Wendy Wilson def Janet Healey, Jess Parolin, Ester Regan & Faye Clarke 25-18

Over 60 Pairs

L-R: Men’s Fours bronze medal winners Cohen Litfin, Ben Walsh, Mark Armstrong, Nic Gosley & BQ’s Gary Costigan

L-R: Women’s Fours bronze medal winners Wendy Wilson, Lauren Schultz, Olivia Rothwell, Gail Crompton & BQ’s Gary Costigan

Over 60’s Pairs gold medal winners L-R: Alan Pritchard & Graeme Hooper, Lynda Brownen & Denice McLean

The Over 60 Pairs is a hotly contested event and the women’s final was an all-local Kawana affair. Denice McLean and Lynda Brownen got the better of the strong pairing of Leigh Fortington and Maria Rigby who would have been favourites going into that final, with a score of 25-11.

“We were very excited to get through to the finals and thought that we would just enjoy the game against very worthy opponents,” Brownen said.

It was a one-sided affair in the Men’s Over 60 Pairs which saw Alan Pritchard and Graeme Hooper defeating Chris O’Brien and Tony McAnelly 33-10.

The men’s bronze medal playoffs in the Over 60 Pairs saw Kevin Bell and Greg Rolls defeat Greg Caletti and John Steel 21-19. The women’s bronze was a contest between Terry McAlary and Sue Brady, who defeated Ruth Smith and Gail Waitai 22-18.

Results Over 60 Men’s Pairs

• G old: Alan Pritchard & Graeme Hooper def Chris O’Brien & Anthony McAnelly 33-10

• Bronze: Kevin Bell & Greg Rolls def Greg Caletti & John Steel 21-19

Results Over 60 Women’s Pairs

• G old: Denice McLean & Lynda Brownen def Leigh Fortington & Maria Rigby 25-11

• Bronze: Terry McAlary & Sue Brady def Ruth Smith & Gail Waitai 22-18

Pairs

In the women’s pairs, Tweed Heads Ospreys Claire Turley and Lynsey Clarke were tested in the final against Hamilton’s Emma Spicer and Wendy Wilson, but a few classy conversions from Clarke at the right time secured the gold for the good mates from the Gold Coast.

Up until 14 ends, the back and forth game looked like it could go either way. From there, Turley and Clarke edged in front and held their opponents off with a 21-16 win.

Turley and Clarke didn’t go into the game confident of a win.

“We never ever think that we will definitely win before we go out and play a game,” Clarke said. “We had a tough draw all the way through actually. Our section was pretty tough.”

We never felt comfortable, but we always felt confident in that we played our best and we enjoyed ourselves and we could get it done,” she said.

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Keith Wilson with Men’s Over 60’s bronze medal winners Kevin Bell & Greg Rolls & BQ’s Kerry Green

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Carole Belsham with Women’s Over 60’s bronze medal winners Terry McAlary & Sue Brady & BQ’s Kerry Green

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Keith Wilson with Men’s Over 60’s silver medal winners Chris O’Brien & Anthony McAnelly & BQ’s Kerry Green

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Carole Belsham with Women’s Over 60’s silver medal winners Maria Rigby & Leigh Fortington & BQ’s Kerry Green

“Claire and I won the 2022 Champion of Club Championship pairs final in October so to get the State Pairs final as well is pretty sweet.

“She is one of my best mates so just getting to play together is a bit cool but to win together is just sweet.”

It wasn’t just Wendy Wilson in the women having an astonishing championship, a Burleigh Heads star was about to feature in his third final. The men’s pairs final was classy to say the least, a cracking game between four young stars of our sport. Scott De Jongh-Fitzpatrick (Burleigh) and Nick Cahill (Broadbeach) took on Tyler Pettigrew and Jake Rynne in an entertaining game that went into the 21st end 19 apiece.

Jake Rynne came up with an all-star conversion to dislodge Cahill and DeJongh-Fitzpatrick’s two shot bowls, propel the jack back into the ditch, with a ricochet off a wing bowl and then the perfect follow through to claim the victory. Both teams deserving of the win, but the bounce going the way of the boys from Carina on this occasion.

Rynne says he is used to being ahead or behind by 5,6,7 or 8, but “it always tightens up towards the end of the game, especially when you are playing opponents of that quality. They are always going to have some chances to get back into the game, and Nick [Cahill] had those chances and he played the bowls to get himself back into the game – kudos to him for that”.

“You have to treat each end as a new end, especially for us when we were in the lead for most of the game,” he said. “You just try and play every end the same. We let them back in, and they were good enough to get back in. So it was 50/50 as to who got there in the end.”

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Carol Belsham with Women’s Pairs bronze medal winners Val Jackson & Tilly Orero & BQ’s Kerry Green

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Keith Wilson with Men’s Pairs bronze medal winners Jade Groenewege & Sean Baker & BQ’s Kerry Green

Pairs gold medal winners L-R: Jake Rynne & Tyler Pettigrew, Claire Turley & Lynsey Clarke

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Keith Wilson with Men’s Pairs silver medal winners Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick & Nick Cahill & BQ’s Kerry Green

L-R: Coolum Beach’s Carole Belsham with Women’s Pairs silver medal winners Emma Spicer & Wendy Wilson & BQ’s Kerry Green

Thanks to sponsors Sunshine Coast Council, Club Coolum and Identified Services for their support of the State Pairs events.

Results Open Men’s Pairs

• G old: Tyler Pettigrew & Jake Rynne def Scott DeJongh-Fitzpatrick & Nick Cahill 20-19

• Bronze: Jade Groenewege & Sean Baker def Gary Pearson & Graeme Shillington 27-13

Results Open Women’s Pairs

• G old: Claire Turley & Lynsey Clarke def Emma Spicer & Wendy Wilson 21-16

• Bronze: Val Jackson & Tilly Orero def Emma Boyd & Kira Bourke 22-21

SINGLES

The prestigious singles events saw plenty of entertainment for the crowds on the final day of competition at Coolum Beach; certainly, having locals at the pointy end of the event contributed to the greens being filled with on-lookers hovering for a good spot to catch all the action.

The party would have been rocking well into the night at Club Kawana after Kurt Brown and Katelyn Inch, both members of the powerhouse Sunshine Coast Club, took home singles gold.

Inch has dominated the State Singles since relocating from New Zealand, the nation she represents in international bowls events. Her credentials saw her go into the final as a strong favourite; however, Broadbeach bowler Heather Hodgson took it up to the international star.

Hodgson, a State Representative in the Bowling Arm category, was fresh off a victory against Australian Jackaroo Chloe Stewart in the semi-final and was really settling into her game after an early loss in sectional play.

Inch had to fight back after trailing for majority of the match; a poor end from Hodgson saw Inch picking up three shots to jump to a 22-20 lead, and she remained in front until scoring the magic 25th shot!

“I didn’t have any expectations coming into this as I’ve had a busy year so far with international bowls and I really am stoked to have made my way here,” Inch said. “It was a tough battle – Heather is a great player, but I just hung in there. It was such a tough game and Heather was always in front and it took me a really long time to get there.”

Women’s Singles gold medal winner Katelyn Inch with Sunshine Coast District President Graham Tanis (left) & Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson (right)

Men’s Singles gold medal winner Kurt Brown with Sunshine Coast District President Graham Tanis (left) & Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson (right)

The Open men’s bronze medal match saw Jade Groenewege and Sean Baker defeat Gary Pearson and Graeme Shillington 27-13. The Open women’s bronze match was contested between Val Jackson and Tilly Orero who defeated Emma Boyd and Kira Bourke 22-21.

Singles gold medal winners Katelyn Inch and Kurt Brown

Thanks to sponsors Sunshine Coast Council, Club Coolum and Henselite for their support of the State Singles events.

Results Men’s Singles

• G old: Kurt Brown def Brendan Wilson 25-24

• Bronze: Isaac Maughan def John Newell 25-22

• Results Women’s Singles

• G old: Katelyn Inch def Heather Hodgson 25-22

• Bronze: Wendy Wilson def Chloe Stewart 25-22

Later in the day Kurt Brown also came from behind against Hamilton’s Brendan Wilson who had the Kawana local down 13-22. In his own words, Brown “dug deep” and played long ends which started to pay dividends in the back end of the game. As Brown started to nail the jack and set the heads up nicely, the comeback was looking ominous.

Wilson played some bombs of his own and in the blink of an eye the two players were shaking hands wishing each other the best of luck for the final end, 24 all, winner takes all.

Wilson holding three, no bowls left to play, had to watch Brown walk back to the mat and deliver the ultimate shot under immense pressure, snatching the victory. Brown said he was starting to get a bit worried when it was 22 to 13 down but decided to soldier on. “The biggest problem I was having was that I just needed to wake up to myself,” he said.

Brendan and mum Wendy Wilson were both able to walk away from the 2023 State Championships with medals. Wendy said that for her, the highlight was watching Brendan play so well in the men’s singles gold medal finals match. “To stand next to Brendan for the medal presentations and both be awarded medals was a proud mum moment for me,” Wendy said.

All the state champions (except the Over 60 Pairs medallists) will have the opportunity to participate in the National Championships in Perth in October.

Bowls Queensland extends its thanks to sponsors the Sunshine Coast Council, Henselite, Nic Fisher from Harcourts, Identified Services and Coolum Beach Bowls Club. Well done to all host clubs for putting on a fantastic event, in particular Coolum Beach Bowls Club for hosting the finals. Thank you to the Gold Coast Tweed District Media Team for their coverage throughout the State Championships.

Men’s Singles medallists L-R: Isaac Maughan (bronze), Kurt Brown (gold) & Brendan Wilson (silver)

Women’s Singles medallists L-R: Heather Hodgson (silver), Katelyn Inch (gold) & Wendy Wilson (bronze)

The women’s bronze medal was won by Wendy Wilson who defeated Chloe Stewart 25-22, claiming her fourth medal of the series!

Wendy and Brendan Wilson

Development with

Embracing change in a new world - Club Mooloolaba

Club Mooloolaba is embracing the changing world in their part of the Sunshine Coast.

Vice Chairperson, Ann Stewart, has done some great work in actively reaching out to local over-50s villages, inviting them to come along and enjoy the club facilities.

Although finding the right person to speak to has not been easy, Ann has persisted and several lifestyle villages have accepted the invitation to come along and enjoy some friendly competition.

The event has now evolved into an annual competition and earlier this year, 28 teams from 12 villages joined in for a day of triples competition. Yes, that is right, 84 players!

This is the third year of the competition and the club is seeing great community inclusion and an uptake in club membership, due to the bowlers enjoying a wider variety of competition and camaraderie at the club.

The competition is converting players into members at a good rate and lifestyle village residents are looking for more competitions. Lifestyle village residents enjoy the services offered at the club and come back to enjoy the meals and entertainment on a regular basis.

Ann has shown what can be achieved if you have an idea and the desire to make it happen. These villages are here to stay, so we need to take a leaf out of Ann’s book and reach out to see what a difference this kind of initiative can make at your club. Thank you Ann, for your great work in leading the way.

207 ntwining@bowls.com.au

RBM - SOUTH EAST QLD Micheal Sorrensen 0447 507 040 msorrensen@bowls.com.au

RBM - NORTH QLD Nick Twining 0429 213

RBM David Barnes

RBM - CENTRAL QLD David Barnes 0429 442 818 dbarnes@bowls.com.au

Club Mooloolaba’s Ann Stewart is leading the way by increasing membership

Closing your bowls club’s gaming room-What are the steps?

Gaming Clubs have become adept at ensuring their gaming rooms can remain operational with minimal disruption during renovation works. However, there may be occasions when a gaming licensee needs to close down their gaming room for an extended period or permanently, for reasons such as the club being demolished and rebuilt, relocated, or ceasing to offer gaming.

To close a gaming room, the licensee must apply to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) for the suspension of the liquor and gaming machine licences, storage of gaming machines, and approval for alterations to the premises, including the new gaming room. The Licensed Monitoring Operator (LMO) will then assist with the de-commissioning and relocation of the gaming machines.

The jackpot monies collected from gaming players must be returned to customers as winnings. These monies are not the licensee’s funds, and as such, there are strict requirements regarding how they can be dealt with. While a club may assume it can hold onto these monies during a major redevelopment and then re-apply them to the jackpot once the club is ready to commence trading again, this is not permitted.

Once the jackpot system is decommissioned, the LMO will calculate the exact amount of the accrued jackpot, and the gaming licensee is then responsible for dealing with these funds. The OLGR’s preference is that the monies be contributed to another jackpot system in the premises, which is not an option for most clubs in these circumstances.

An alternative option is for the club to return the funds to its customers via gaming-related promotional activities within the club. OLGR approval is required for the proposed promotion, which must comply with the requirements for Category 4 Promotional Games. Promotional games must have free entry, and the winners are determined entirely or partly by chance. Players may be required to buy goods or services to receive their free entry as long as the goods and services are sold at their usual market value price. The licensee must provide the OLGR with details regarding how the promotion will be undertaken, the prizes available, how people can enter, how the draw is conducted, and the timeframe for the promotion. In exceptional circumstances, the OLGR may approve the jackpot funds being donated to charity. Failing any of the

above options, the monies can be forfeited to the OLGR and paid into the consolidated funds.

The preferred solution is for the monies to be returned to players. Therefore, if the club doesn’t have another operating jackpot system, running a promotional activity should be conducted before ceasing trade. This may mean that the jackpot system needs to be decommissioned before the premises cease trading to calculate the exact amount to be distributed.

Clubs are used to dealing with regulatory and compliance requirements as part of their operations, and ceasing to conduct gaming for a lengthy period or decommissioning a jackpot system is no different. It is important for clubs to properly plan such major works, but the ability to run a promotion and give cash prizes to patrons may be an opportunity that some clubs can take advantage of as part of a major redevelopment or relocation.

If you have any questions on this topic or any other issues relating to a temporary or permanent club closure, please call me, Matt Bradford, at 07 3224 0353.

Two NEW laws rescinded: Changes to the new laws effective immediately

It has been a very successful and enjoyable month of May with the completion of the State District Sides and State Championships. Congratulations to all the winners and players, officials, sponsors and all volunteers for the wonderful work carried out to make the events successful. Many people, including myself, watched the games on live streaming run by the Gold Coast Tweed Media Team. Special thanks for their wonderful work as it was great to be able to watch the many games played from the comfort of home.

Most recently, World Bowls has revoked laws Laws 37.1.3 and 37.1.5.3, effective immediately. Please see statement from World Bowls below, and if you need help, please do not hesitate to contact your district or anyone from the Bowls Queensland Umpire Committee, who will be only too happy to assist.

FULL STATEMENT FROM WORLD BOWLS

In August 2022 the above two new laws were introduced to the Laws of the Sport Crystal Mark Fourth Edition. They were designed to penalise a player who deliberately displaced their own teams bowl on its original course or lifted a bowl at rest to allow one of their own team’s bowls to pass.

Despite a clarification document published on the World Bowls Website in September 2022, it has become very clear from communications that the two laws have caused a great deal of confusion and have resulted in games being forfeited incorrectly following players innocently stopping bowls from entering the ditch.

Furthermore, the management of a side game and the resulting penalty after a team has been disqualified has also caused a great deal of confusion with MNAs and domestic Controlling Bodies.

Concern has been around the severe penalty of forfeiting the game and clarity in the wording of the law itself. Recommendations have been received to reduce the severity of the forfeit to penalising with shot deductions. This approach would be inconsistent with any other law and was not felt to be a suitable solution. Penalties have always existed for the displacement of a bowl by its own team players but at the time of the 2021 Laws review these penalties were not felt to be severe enough for what is considered an act of “cheating”.

Having considered several options to improve the intent of these two laws, the World Bowls Laws Advisory Group have concluded and recommended to the Board of World Bowls to rescind them. The numbering of Law 37.1.4 will remain untouched until the next review of the Laws.

The changes to the Laws are summarised as follows:

37.1.3 If a bowl in its original course is deliberately displaced or stopped by a member of the team that delivered the bowl, the defaulting team will forfeit the game to their opponent.

37.1.4 Displacement of a bowl in motion.

37.1.4.1 If a bowl in motion is displaced by a player and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip or the opponent in Singles must choose whether to:

37.1.4.1.1 place the bowl where the player believes it would have come to rest; or

37.1.4.1.2 declare the end dead.

37.1.4.2 If a bowl in motion is displaced by a player and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip or the opponent in Singles must choose whether to:

37.1.4.2.1 place the bowl where the player believes it would have come to rest and replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement; or

37.1.4.2.2 declare the end dead.

37.1.5 Displacement of a bowl at rest.

37.1.5.1 If a bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a player and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opponent must put the bowl back to its former position.

37.1.5.2 If a bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a player and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opponent must put the bowl back to its former position and replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement.

37.1.5.3 If a player lifts a bowl at rest on their rink to allow their team’s bowl in its original course to pass, the defaulting team will forfeit the game to their opponent.

The World Bowls Board, following a recommendation from the World Bowls Laws Advisory Group, have agreed to rescind Laws 37.1.3 and 37.1.5.3 with immediate effect.

Umpire with Joan Brotherton

Q7S-QLD ATTRACTS 137 TEAMS

2023 was another successful year for Q7s-Qld with 139 Teams competing for equal prize money across all divisions, with $7,000 for the winners.

. The finals this year were held again at Club Pine Rivers over two full weekends with clubs from the Darling Downs being very strongly represented. Several clubs (who had travelled long distances) had to return on the second weekend as a result of their superb performance.

As they have done for the last two years, the Gold Coast District Media live streamed the finals weekend with all indications suggesting that viewing well exceeding last year’s figure of 40,000.

Division 1 saw Club Kawana and Carina battle it out and, after an extra end had to be played, Carina was victorious. The standard of bowls was a treat to behold and the support for both sides was deafening.

In Division 2, Club Pine Rivers took on Broadbeach, both powerhouse clubs fielding Premier League sides. At the end of the day, it was our Host Club – Club Pine Rivers that took out the $7,000 First Prize.

Aspley won Division 3 with Pine Rivers coming second.

Division 4 winners were Dayboro and runners-up Carina. Special mention should go to Dayboro as they have been “Oh! So close” to winning over the years; and have now captured their first of what will be many now.

Division 5 winners were Broadbeach and runners-up North Toowoomba. Clubs from the Darling Downs played with strength and North Toowoomba are no exception. Tannymorel – a small “one green” Club outside Warwick always performs on the bigger stage, but did not make the finals this year - a first for a long time.

Division 6 Winners AND runners-up were McKenzie Park. This is one way to scoop the pool!.

2024 will follow the success of this year with possibly an earlier starting date; but the 8-week sectional play will continue.

A special thanks must go to the management, staff and members of Club Pine Rivers, who were excellent in their presentation, maybe even exceeding 2022; which was a hard act to follow in 2023 but they did.

Q7s-Qld will be returning to Club Pine Rivers in 2024.

Division 1 winners - Carina

Division 2 winners - Pine Rivers

Contributed by Bob Proctor

WHAT’S YOUR CLUB BEEN DOING?

Taroom’s Invitational Fours

Taroom held their Invitational Open Fours carnival recently. This is only the second year it has taken place and is proving to be more successful each year.

The carnival attracted a full green of 14 teams that came from various locations in South East QLD including Pomona, Thangool, Miriam Vale, Toowoomba, Roma and Emerald amongst others.

The prize money this year was increased to $10,500 and was only possible due to the generosity of the large number of local businesses that contributed. The Gold Coast Tweed Media team live streamed the carnival, which proved to be a great success for the club and the region. This is a fantastic achievement for a club of 41 members and only one green to run such a successful tournament. Congratulations to the

winners below:

• O verall winners combination team from Roma & Toowoomba: Josh Steffens, Kelvin King, Alan Weir, Letitia Weir

• Runners-up Roma team: Anthony King, Kym Sutton, Reegan Tucker, Dion Benfer

• Th ird combination team of Dalby, Roma, Taroom & Toowoomba players: Noel Corbin, John Hammond, Jimmy Keleher, Robert Hammond

• Fourth combination team of Taroom, Algester & Toowoomba players: Carol Swift, Wade Clayton, Barrie Hawken, Jo Worsley

• Fifth Toowoomba team: Jason Grundon, Steven McNamee, Gary Gray, Gavin Bradford.

Third L-R: Noel Corbin, John Hammond, Jimmy Keleher & Robert Hammond

Winners L-R: Josh Steffens, Kelvin King, Alan Weir & Letitia WeirRunners-up L-R: Anthony King, Kym Sutton, Reegan Tucker & Dion Benfer

Fourth L-R: Carol Swift, Wade Clayton, Barrie Hawken & Jo Worsley

Contributed by Delacey Kehl

Souths Suburban’s Open Challenge

Thirty-two teams contested the annual Easter Open at Souths Suburban, Mackay on April 8-9. Eight rounds of 2-bowl triples were played, with only two teams winning all games.

Local legends Ray Kurtz and Peter Balderson teamed with Mitchell Mears from Broadbeach to take out the top prize of $4,500. Second place went to Mitch Styles, Jesse Turnbull & Justin Cribbin, with a 20 less margin than the winners.

With a draw in round 6, Joel Downey, Tyler Pettigrew and Jake Rynne finished in third place. A total prize pool of $15,000 was shared between seven placegetters and eight round winners.

Two heavy downpours on Good Friday dented the speed of the grass green, but a hot and humid day on Saturday had the pace much improved for Sunday’s play. The undercover carpet green was much friendlier for the two days.

Visitors came from many parts of Queensland, with the Elliott family from Taralga in Southern NSW playing while up visiting local family. Former Souths Suburban member, Ray McKay, now based in Melbourne also competed this year.

The carnival has been going for many years and the club is very appreciative of the many visiting players who attend each time.

Contributed by John Palmer

Runners-up L-R: Jesse Turnbull, Justin Cribbin & Mitch Styles

Third L-R: Tyler Pettigrew, Jake Rynne & Joel Downey

Winners L-R: Peter Balderson, Ray Kurtz & Mitch Mears

Windsor 100 Classic Men’s Fours

The annual Windsor 100 Classic Men’s Fours Carnival was held in April. The club looked picture perfect the recently completed renovations following the devastating March 2022 floods. This small heritage listed club was inundated by 1.7 metres of water.

A full complement of 28 teams travelled from all parts of Queensland and interstate to participate in one of the most popular bowls events on the bowls calendar. This year’s field was again one of the strongest assembled with multiple current and former state, national and international players competing.

A popular part of this tournament is a powerplay worth double points that can be called by each team in every game.

The team to accumulate the most powerplay points during the five games win a separate prize of $500. If more than one team are on equal highest Powerplay points then a one bowl shootout by the skips determines the winner. This occurred again this year with Pat Casey and Adam McKeown’s team equal on 16 powerplay points. Pat elected to bowl first in the shootout drawing about half a metre short of the jack. Adam took no time on the mat and the crowd erupted into applause as he drew the shot to pocket the prizemoney.

67 Years for Kandanga’s Beryl Dan

Kandanga Bowls Club held a luncheon and bowls day recently to honour Mrs. Beryl Dan, who is retiring from bowls after a commitment of 67 years to the sport of lawn bowls.

A large crowd of family, friends and fellow bowlers gathered together for a wonderful day at the Kandanga Country Club to celebrate Beryl’s amazing achievement. Beryl began playing bowls at Kandanga in 1956, and played with that club consistently until 2011, when she moved away from the area.

Beryl, along with Adrienne (Puddy) Dan, was deservedly awarded Life Membership of Kandanga Bowls Club in 2001.

Kandanga Bowls Club celebrates its 75th anniversary next year, and Beryl with her husband Ted were an integral part of establishing the club in its infancy. We wish Beryl good health and happiness on her retirement from our sport, and would welcome her back anytime for a roll-up.

Winners L-R: Peter Brown, Adam McKeown, Sam Barkley, Pauline Okon (Umpire), Dave Keogh (Tournament Director) & Clinton Bailey

Third L-R: Nathan Rice, Brett Tynan, Gavin Maguire, Paul Holbird with Pauline Okon (Umpire) & Dave Keogh (Tournament Director)

Runners-up L-R: Paul Gilbert, Dave Lockley, Michael Bretherton, Mitch Mears with Pauline Okon (Umpire) & Dave Keogh (Tournament Director)

L-R: Jan Mallett (patroness of Pomona Club), Beryl Dan & Adrienne (Puddy) Dan (Games Co-ordinator Kandanga Bowls Club). All three in the photo also used to play tennis together in the ‘70s & 80s

Contributed by Lorraine Emery

Contributed by Dave Keogh

Tully’s Open Triples

Tully Bowls Club recently held their annual Open Triples. The event was again successful with a full green of both men and women players from throughout the Far North. Teams travelled to Tully from Ingham in the South, Innisfail in the North and Tully members were pleased to welcome three teams this year from Yungaburra on the Atherton Tablelands.

Everyone enjoyed the day, their bowls, the camaraderie and looking forward to 2024.

Only a small number of points separated the top three teams. Vice President Rod assisted with the presentation of the prizes and the drawing of the raffle.

West Cairns: Sam Rinaudo Shield

The Sam Rinaudo Shield is played in respect of the Rinaudo Family, who donate the shield and medallions.

Played over two days in sectional play of four sections to get four winners, the four play off to get the final two, who then play off for the shield which, for the first time, was won by West Cairns BC.

We played five games over the weekend and were successful winning all five games. There were some close games and we had to win our last game against South Johnstone to claim the shield. It was an excellent game throughout and we got up by eight shots to win

It was a great achievement by our club and the first time ever we had won the shield, making it more enjoyable.

L-R: Runners-up Shane McInerery (sk), Michael Roots, Vera Rowe with Rod Bradley

L-R: Triples winners Sam Micale, Sno Clark, Alf Silliato (sk) with Rod Bradley

L-R :Third place Lee-ann Myall, Denise Charman (sk), Len Charman with Rod Bradley Contributed by Rod Bradley

Contributed by Maurice Hetherton

Coaching with BQ coaching committee

Fundamentals of lawn bowls

By Dennis O’Toole

Whether you are a player or a coach, you must have a sound understanding of the fundamentals associated with the sport of lawn bowls.

Obviously, the application of these fundamentals are different to the individual. However, all contribute to make the level of success achieved.

These important components are:

1. Goal setting

2. Constants and variables of the delivery

3. Communicating not only from a coach but also from the player

4. The methodology required in the sport.

Interestingly, goal setting is the first fundamental required. We realise that all players and all coaches have different aspirations and require different plans to achieve their ambitions. These plans come under what is called “The Smarter Plan”, in other words, they must be specific, measurable, action orientated, realistic and relevant, timed and targeted, evaluated and recorded. Coaches organise a series of processes or stepping stone goals to improve the performance of the player or players. These performance goals lead on to positive outcome goals. All good coaches have a sound understanding of the player’s individual goals so that they can adequately plan, recognise and record the improvement that has been made. The second of the fundamentals are the constants and variables and these make up the necessary requirements for the delivery of the bowl.

There are five constants and they are evident in all sports. These are:

1. Understanding the line your bowl needs to take and how to get the bowl on that line

2. Keeping your balance throughout the delivery and be stable both at the start and at the delivery point

3. Controlling your momentum or speed of movement throughout the delivery to assist timing and rhythm

4. Making sure the bowl is delivered so that it runs smoothly

5. Being sure that you are consistent.

The six variables are:-

1. Where and how you place your feet

2. Ensure a comfortable grip on the bowl to make sure it allows the bowl to be delivered smoothly

3. The stance should be mostly upright to give easy transfer of weight from back foot to step out foot

4. Step normally towards the line you want your bowl to travel

5. Bend so that you can keep the bowl along the running surface

6. Deliver your bowl with enough force to reach the target. Acknowledging that communication is more involved than only talking is very important. Communication is a process where either coach or player imparts a point they want to make and the recipient actively listens and interprets that point. It should be concise, accurate and open to questions from either party to ensure correct understanding. Other parts of communication are demonstration, body language, attentiveness and voice tone. Sports Methodology is a process that coaches use to facilitate the understanding of a technical or important point being made to a player or players. This point is explained and demonstrated three separate times with active questioning done to ensure recognition and understanding of the process to be attempted. The player shows by repeating verbally and kinaesthetically the process until it is learnt.

Bowls Queensland State Coaches run Skills Days at no cost for groups of players where all the fundamentals are discussed and attempted in greater depth. The committee also provides a Coaches Workshop which gives access to further training for those wishing to improve their own skill level.

For further details contact Bowls Queensland.

Coaching at Mermaid Beach

Dennis O’Toole, Trish Aumann, Dave Grant, Robbie Allan, Alan Smith, Johanna Cunningham, Allan Holmes previous graduate, Marion McMahon & Alan Thorp

UPCOMING COURSES

• June 3: Coaches Workshop North Mackay BC

• June 4: Skills & Bowling Arm North Mackay BC

• June 12-13: Club Coach Manly BC

• June 17-18: Club Coach Bargara BC

• June 19: Skills & Bowling Arm Bargara BC

SC District Coaches and Umpires visited Nambour Heights Bowling Club for Fundamentals of Bowls, which attracted 17 attendees.

ECKA’S TIP

• June 24: Competition Module SCDBA Room

• June 25: Selection Module SCDBA Room

A training schedule should be created at least three weeks prior to the event. Build your training program around the format of the competition and the amount of bowls played that day.