Ettalong to host premier NSW bowls event

Ettalong Bowling Club will host one of NSW Bowls premier events – the prestigious NSW State Open Grade 1 Pennant Final – on June 28-30.

Ettalong boasts four exceptionally well-maintained grass greens, regarded as the best grass greens on the Central Coast making the club well placed to host this major state event.

An event such as this requires a club to have four greens and facilities that can accommodate up to 16 full open pennant teams, equating to 200-plus bowlers.

This championship final will bring the best Grade 1 Pennant players from most regions in NSW to the Central Coast, to compete for the title of being the top open pennant side in the state.

Representing the Central Coast will be the Bateau Bay Grade 1 Pennant Champions who for the third year running have won the Grade 1 competition on the Central Coast.

The Bateau Bay team boasts a number of state and zone representatives who have, and will do, the Central Coast proud, and hopefully bringing home the coveted NSW State Grade 1 flag.

This achievement by the Bateau Bay Grade 1 Champions in winning the title for the third year in a row had a flow-on effect for other grades in this year’s pennants, with Bateau Bay being the Zone 15 Champions in Grade 3, Grade 4 and Grade 7.

It is a magnificent achievement for the club to win four of the seven open pennant grades.

Central Coast Bowls president Brian Emms congratulated the Bateau Bay team captain Tony Shoebridge, and Bateau Bay Bowling Club in hosting the Bowls NSW State Women’s Division 4 Pennant competition.

He said that following on from that it was another wonderful achievement and honour for the Central Coast that Ettalong had been chosen to host the top level NSW State Open Grade 1 Pennant Final.

“Apart from the wonderful economic benefits events like this bring to the Central Coast, it also highlights the strength, recognition and progress that bowls is achieving on the Coast and provides a pathway for the Coast’s highly talented bowlers to progress to state and Australian representation.”

The Central Coast has become an ideal venue for major bowls events.

The foresight, courage and belief in the sport shown by the Wyong Leagues Group by way of their multi-million-dollar investment in building an all-weather covered bowling green at Bateau Bay has been a huge step forward for bowls on the Coast.

These all-weather covered synthetic bowling greens are the way of the future and will grow the sport.

The Mingara Leisure Group is now building two all-weather covered bowling greens at The Entrance Bowling Club (The Greens) and the Mounties Group is doing something similar at Halekulani Bowling Club.

This will further enhance Central Coast Bowls as a major regional force in NSW Bowls.

Emms expressed his delight in the growth and recognition that the sport has achieved over the past few years and how good it was for the Central Coast by continuing to put the sport of bowls at the forefront of sport on the Central Coast.

He said a lot of this had been due to the hard work put in by so many volunteers and dedicated bowlers.

The sport is extremely invested and inclusive in diversity, catering for all ages, from 14 to 90-plus and those with physical disabilities and vision impairment.

No longer regarded as just a sport for retirees, it is sport where players of all ages and entire families can participate.

Emm said when the unification of women’s and men’s bowls on the Central Coast had a significant positive professional impact on the way bowls were now being managed.

“We now have one administration creating a single more powerful identity and one pathway for both men and women,” he said.

“For our Central Coast women, it no longer means they have to compete against Lake Macquarie teams for the right to advance to NSW events.

“As representatives of the Central Coast Bowls, they will now go straight to NSW events representing the Central Coast.

“This is a huge step forward for Central Coast women bowlers.”

Ettalong Bowling Club and Central Coast Bowls invites all those interested in bowls to come to the club during this fantastic championship and watch these amazing athletes in action.