QLD MULTI DISABILITY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sporting Wheelies Open Pairs Medallists L-R: Bronze Rufino Obien & Tony Watson, Gold Cheryl Lindfield & Cooper Whitestyles, Silver Damien Delgado & Bernie Wolland
Diane Jackson
Richard Rombouts
Louise Hoskins
Since 2011, Bowls Queensland in partnership with Sports Connect has run the Multi Disability State Championships. The first time this event travelled outside of Brisbane was to Mackay in 2019. This year, 2021, the championships were back in Mackay and held across Souths Suburban Bowls Club and Mackay City Bowls Club. This event includes four disability groups: Sporting Wheelies (physical), QLD Deaf Bowlers, QLD Blind Bowlers and Lifestream (intellectual). Spirits were high on Monday, July 19 (day 1) after bowlers and spectators were welcomed, with players itching to get on the green. Sporting Wheelies Open Pairs and QBBA Open Singles played their first three rounds at South Suburban while the Hard of Hearing Men’s and Women’s Singles kicked off at Mackay City. Old friendships were rekindled and many new ones were made in a great display of sportsmanship on and off the green. Tuesday, July 20 (day 2), was the first medal day with gold and bronze medal playoffs set to begin in the afternoon after rounds 4 and 5.
Sporting Wheelies Open Pairs Last year’s Sporting Wheelies Pairs Champions Cooper Whitestyles (Souths Suburban) and Damien Delgado (Tweed Heads) found themselves doing battle against each other for gold in this year’s final. Whitestyles was originally ruled out of the event due to recovering from surgery with Delgado opting to team up with Bernie Wolland from Mossman. However, Whitestyles was a late inclusion in the pairs and teamed up with Mt Gravatt’s Cheryl Lindfield in her first appearance in the event. After topping the sectional ladder, Lindfield and Whitestyles came flying out of the blocks to lead 10-nil after five ends. Wolland and Delgado showed a never-say-die attitude to claw their way back to trail by two shots with three ends to play. Lindfield and Whitestyles bounced back claiming five shots and then another one on the following end to
August 2021 queensland bowler 9
