Bowlers to roll on in Brisbane

By WO2 Mick Carley

THE Australian Services Bowls Association (ASBA) is on a roll towards the ADF National Championships in Brisbane from September 1-5.

Over the next few months, state associations are conducting selection trials, with the nationals being in Brisbane at the Ferny Grove Bowls Club.

Royal Queensland Bowls Association also supports the nationals by providing a state tactician and selector to assist in selecting the national team.

The ASBA Championships is a sanctioned event for bowlers of all degrees of competency and gender.

The event incorporates competition between all states in a combined Service format and a national competition between the three services that follows World Bowls Board and Bowls Australia format and rules.

Interservice and Combined Service competitions are conducted at state and national level with the national team playing fixtures against visiting countries, previously ACT sides and now every year against a Brisbane side.

One of the prerequisites to play in service competitions is that ADF members be members of a civilian club.

Most play a higher level in their own clubs because of the competitiveness incorporated in Defence sport.

This year’s nationals are heading towards their biggest in several years with seven states represented to date.

Victoria, which dominated for a period of time but has been on the outer lately, is rebuilding its state association and appears to be a formidable opponent once again with several top class bowlers returning.

All services are represented at the nationals and any ADF member, including Reservists, are eligible to compete.

The Association has more than 300 bowlers listed, but this is perhaps only about one quarter of the total of bowlers throughout the ADF.

The game is expanding in the civilian community as it is attracting more of the younger generation.

For more information on the game of lawn bowls within the services, visit the website at http://intranet.defence.gov.au/raafweb/Sites/ADFBOWLS/ or contact the ASBA president WO1 Mick Carley on (08) 9383 6458 or the secretary WO Shakey Lake on (02) 9377 2015.

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