Taylor tops the field at prestigious Summerland Series lawn bowls event

ALSTONVILLE bowler Peter Taylor has claimed the $12,500 Summerland Singles title for the second time, winning the prestigious event at Cherry Street Sports Club.

The tournament, which has been running for more than 50 years, is regarded as one of the premier summer events on the Bowls Australia calendar and attracts top state and national representatives each year.

It capped off a big week for Taylor, who also reached the final of the pairs tournament alongside Tim Twining.

Taylor was dominant in the singles final, defeating Queensland state representative Kane Nelson 21-7.

His path to the title included a semi-final victory over Australian representative Corey Wedlock.

Wedlock won the pairs and singles at the event last year and was also the 2023 singles champion.

“I look forward to this event every year and it’s always a massive one,” Taylor said.

“I got the result in the end, but Kane is a competitor and he’s going to go a long way in this game.”

Taylor won the event for the first time in 2020, when he defeated former Ballina bowler and Australian Jackaroos representative Aaron Teys.

He is one of only a handful of local bowlers to win the event twice.

Former Ballina bowler Indi Conlan won this year’s pairs title with Burleigh Heads teammate Scott De Jongh.

Conlan is the current Queensland singles champion, while De Jongh has been a regular competitor at the tournament for more than a decade.

Ballina Bowling Club men’s president Geoff Wegg praised Taylor for its efforts in the finals of the singles competition.

“It’s been a wonderful carnival, and we had a great exhibition in the final,” Wegg said.

“We played 119 games over three days, and each one was assisted by volunteers from around the region.”