DOUBLE, DOUBLE BOWLS AND BUBBLES

What a wonderful finals week for the Lorne Bowls Club. Victory in the grand-final of both the Midweek and Saturday competitions is a fitting reward for the club and in particular for the fifty pennant members of the club. This bowling season we were able to field teams in three divisions, welcome new bowlers both young and mature, attract players from outside Lorne and have both ladies and men playing in all three of the club’s teams.
The division four Saturday side finished a credible ninth on the ladder, winning seven and drawing one game against one of the eventual finalist teams.
The side welcomed six first-year bowlers, with John Russell and John Tuck taking leadership positions to assist the new members. Having a second Saturday pennant side has provided the necessary depth of players to support the division three team and partly explains its undefeated season, as it was not the hard and dedicated training regime!
The Midweek team played Cobden in the grandfinal. It is thirty years since the last grand-final victory by the ladies. Lorne won all three rinks and finished 26 shots clear of Cobden. The final was played in extremely difficult windy conditions, making this result even more pleasing. The team was managed by Merna Smith, with Heather Olney, Jen Dulloo and Merna skipping the three sides. It was a very even performance with all players bowling well at different stages of the game. The team is now promoted to division two for the next season.
The Saturday division three side completed the season undefeated. We played Derrinallum in the grand-final winning by 15 shots – winning two rinks, drawing one and losing one. This is the fourth time we played Derrinalum (a division 2 side in 2015), with most of the games being close. The Lorne team was managed by Michael Causon, with Allan Walls, Peter Steven, Sam Coulson and Michael skipping the four sides. It was a close game all day, with Lorne gaining momentum in the final five ends. The team is now promoted to division two for the next season.
Our year began in a very positive way. The inaugural Community Cup was a great success with over fifty people competing over two weeks, many of whom had never bowled. We assisted the students and staff of Gary Allen President Lorne Bowls Club the Lorne Aireys Inlet P-12 College to include bowling in the curriculum and the after-school program. We gained two new major sponsors – Great Ocean Road Real Estate and the Bendigo Community Bank, as well as maintaining the support of our traditional sponsors – Lorne Electrics, Beach House Gifts, The Lorne Post Office, June Stafford, Lorne Foodworks, Lorne Fisheries, Sue Theodore, Lorne Automotive Services, Surf Coast Optical and the Lorne Pharmacy.
We also entered a twelve month contract with Heusos Catering to operate the bar and restaurant.
The Lorne Bowls Club is open to community groups and individuals to try bowling. The Barefoot Bowls program is run by Jeff Woolley and Janet McLeod (0456 411 222) or simply ask a member to help you have a bowl. It is a wonderful game for all ages, a game that I embraced, but not mastered, two years ago. It is great fun.
The future of our bowling club is very good. Rarely do both pennant divisions win a grand-final in the same year. We have an expanding membership base and with these victories we will attract new members to the club for the 2016-17 bowling season. My thanks go to all members and bowlers for your support during the year, and particularly to the members of the various committees for your acceptance of leadership positions and for the many demands made upon your time over the year, not just the bowling season.