2023 Nationals in Perth Wrap
Bowls SA was proud to send seven highly competitive sides to Perth for the 2023 Nationals. Encountering hot conditions with sunny skies, our sides played across three venues from 6 to 16 October, with highlights summarised below.
South Australian Para Side
Conditions were perfect at the Warwick Bowling Club, known for its natural bush setting and abundant birds, for the opening ceremony on 5 October, followed by the Para Nationals competition from 6 – 9 October.
Unfortunately, Graham Robertson and Shane Danaher went down narrowly to a strong NSW/ACT pairing in their semi-final.
Congratulations to Vanessa Wildy and Cathy Vluggen who took home a silver medal after a valiant effort against a classy Queensland pair.
Congratulations to Mike Emberton and Andrew Read who collected a gold medal in the Men’s 14 Point Pairs in a very tight, one-shot win over Victoria!
Congratulations to Chris Flavel who knocked over Victoria in his epic singles match to claim gold in the Men’s B7/8 Singles!
Our South Australian 8 athletes scored 5 medals! A brilliant effort for this side!
You can watch all 3 of these medal games on Bowls Australia’s YouTube.
Follow this link to catch up on all the Para side scores on BowlsLink.
South Australian Under 18 Sides
With the mercury already rising early at the lush green Sorrento Bowling Club for the Under 18 opening ceremony on 6 October, the Under 18s Nationals competition followed that day until Sunday 7 October.
U18 Girls Side
Congratulations to the girl’s fours where Daisy Coe, Indi Vass, Ava Vass and Anda Panchawat secured 3rd place against the eager WA/ACT team.
U18 Boys Side
Kobe Jarman and Liam Coe found themselves in a 3rd place playoff after a great fight throughout sectionals but losing in a tough contest against NSW to finish fourth in the boys pairs.
Congratulations to the Boys Triples Cameron Hill, Cooper Hocking and Charlie Hicks who secured third place against a fighting Tasmanian team.
Follow this link to catch up on all the U18 side scores on Bowlslink.
South Australian Senior Sides
The Senior Sides Championship kicked off at Joondalup Bowling Club, known for their friendly social atmosphere, with the opening Ceremony on 8 October followed directly afterwards by their Nationals competition which was contested until 11 October.
Senior Women’s Side
Competing for the Betty Collins OAM Trophy our Senior Women’s Side kicked off their campaign with 3 wins and 1 loss after 4 games.
The Women then beat an undefeated New South Wales in a thriller that came down to the final end to secure 3rd place with 5 wins and 2 losses.
Congratulations to Beth Quinlan, Chris Thulborn, Anne Merritt and Lea Modra as they were awarded the most successful rink of the women’s event, winning all seven encounters and finishing with +56 shot difference.
Follow this link to catch up on all the Senior Women’s scores on BowlsLink
Senior Men’s Side
Competing for the John Dobbie AM Trophy our Senior Men’s Side kicked off their campaign as well with 3 wins and 1 loss after 4 games.
A thrilling final day of competition saw our Senior Men complete their championship strongly with a convincing win against New South Wales to finish 3rd, narrowly behind Victoria on 5 wins and 2 losses.
Follow this link to catch up on all the Senior Mens scores on BowlsLink
South Australian Open Sides
Our Open Sides hit the green the day before their Nationals campaign at Sorrento Bowling Club to compete against Western Australia in two test matches. South Australia and Western Australia played off for the Ford/Wishart Trophy. After 6 matches of outstanding bowls across two days, South Australia won the Ford/Wishart Trophy.
Sorrento Bowling Club was in picture perfect condition for the opening ceremony of the Open Sides Championship on 13 October, with competition following on directly afterwards until 16 October.
Open Women’s Side
While battling it out for the Marj Morris Trophy our Open Women’s Side celebrated a debut milestone for Evie Exton while Renata Callisto celebrated her 150th game for our state.
Unfortunately our Open Women’s Side couldn’t secure a medal after some close losses and epic encounters. At the conclusion of the competition our Women finished 6th with 3 wins and 4 losses.
Follow this link to catch up on all the Women’s scores on BowlsLink
Open Mens Side
Celebrating the milestones of Ben Bowman’s debut, Scott Thulborn’s 150th game and Craig Mills 100th game our Open Men’s Side competed for the Alley Shield.
The Open Men’s Side also experienced the brunt of some strong competition finishing with 3 wins and 4 losses to finish 4th overall.
Follow this link to catch up on all the Men’s scores on BowlsLink
The Nationals continued with 4 days of Australian Championships. We wish all our South Australian players the very best as they compete, and look forward to reporting the highlights in the coming days.
