President – Simon Strickland
Vice President – Sally Dobson
Treasurer – Wayne Gill
Executive Officer – Gerry Smith
Committee – Jaki Edgar, Peter Hall, Peter Holmes, Terry Norris
Immediate Past President – Malcolm Stevenson
Green Director – Martin Pelzer
Weekend Selectors – Kel Edgar, Rex Magnusson, Ross Oakley
Midweek Selectors – Joan Bacon, John Matthews, Tim Smith
Category Archives: Latest News
Championship Winners
Congratulations to all of this year’s Champions and Runners-Up, as shown in the table below.
| Championship | Champion(s) | Runner(s)-Up |
| Club Singles | Mark Solonsch | Athi Singh |
| Ladies Singles | Janine Kibblewhite | Carole Rafferty |
| Club Pairs | Dick Swift & Peter Lee | Carole Rafferty & Sally Rushbrook |
| Ladies’ Pairs | Carole Rafferty & Margo Keenan | Sally Rushbrook & Terri Fitzsimons |
| Mixed Pairs | Margo Keenan & Sal D’Angelo | Janine Kibblewhite & Simon Strickland |
| Club Triples | Malcolm Stevenson, Ross Oakley & Wayne Gill | Bryan Kenneally, John Matthews & Johnny Warburton |
| Club Proportional | Rob Huddle | Terry O’Loughlin |
| Club Minor | Mike Fisher | LindsayCrozier |
| Club Novice | Brendan Harwood | Tony Hoppe |
| Club Under 18 | Kobe Davis-Earle | Jack Muir |
Our resources page links to a list of open and ladies’ champions dating back to the 19th century as well as a list of all singles and pairs champions since 2000.
Small Steps
We’re certainly not going to predict the next steps in the daily dance between pandemic and precautions but at the time of writing members may access the green with strict limits on numbers and household mingling, although access to the clubhouse is for the use of toilets only. You’ll find a covid-19 update on this website but please check your email inbox regularly as these updates are rapidly superseded. We’re taking small steps but that’s quite appropriate because if you take a big step on our fast surface your bowl will likely end up in the ditch!
March 7th: The Day of the Succulents
Following our successful 2019 Succulents Sale several members were motivated to strike new plants for sale the following year – but 2020 brought unforeseen challenges. The sale that year was cancelled as a deadly virus confined everyone to their homes. Meanwhile the once baby succulents kept growing and dividing and growing and growing; taking over verandas and patios, spare rooms and living spaces. Well meaning horticuluralists were trapped indoors with a rampant vegetative invader. The world had not known such horror since the Day of the Triffids! Thankfully relief is at hand and we are able to announce our 2021 Succulents Sale. The sale will be held on Sunday, March 7th from 10am to 4pm at the Albert Park Bowls Club, St Vincent Gardens and is a COVIDSafe registered event. This year, expect more plants, expect bigger plants, and expect the usual low prices. These really do make attractive low maintenance additions to your home … unless of course you try to grow 500 of them in a highrise apartment!
2020/21 Club Championships
With Covid-19 restrictions easing we anticipate being able to kick off this season's Club Championships from Monday November 16. Sign-up sheets and the Conditions of Play have been posted on the noticeboard.
Club Championships are open to Bowls Members and Life Members with additional restrictions for specific championships such as Ladies, Minor and Novice. The entry fee is $5 per player per championship and the closing date for entries is Friday November 13 - barring any further pandemic setbacks.
Pennant Season Finale
The metropolitan pennant season is once again coming to an end. Sectional play is complete and just one of our five sides has made finals - congratulations to weekend pennant Side 1. See our competitions page for links to the final standings for each of our sides. Midweek sides struggled this season following the loss of several top players but both narrowly avoided relegation and achieved some notable wins along the way. With newer players refreshing their ranks, the weekend sides fared better and all had at least some chance of making finals with a couple of rounds to go. The highlight was Side 1 who were in the four for most of the season. Some results, however, did not go as hoped and our fourth place finish leaves us facing an away semi-final at Bentleigh. Strong support at the away venue could make all the difference so members are encouraged to make the trip to Bentleigh on Saturday to support our players.
Ladies’ Champion of Champions
This year we have an opportunity to support two club members in the final eight of the Sandbelt Ladies' Champion of Champions competition. These quarter finals will take place at 9:00am on Sunday Feb 16 at Hampton Bowls Club. Both Kylie Murphy, our Ladies' Champion, and Heather Brodie, Ladies' Champion at RMGC but a dual member at our club, have reached the quarter final stage. Unfortunately the opportunity to support both players will be somewhat limited as they are playing each other! That does mean, however, that one of them will still be competing at the semi-final stage, which is scheduled for 12:00 noon at the same venue. Congratulations to both for their success so far.
Roll Out The New
It's finally installed and ready to play on. Our long awaited replacement carpet promises to guide your bowls inerringly towards the jack, or maybe not - it's up to you. We bid a not too regretful farewell to our worn, faded and quirky old carpet and look forward to bowling on a fresh looking surface that runs true. We've yet to receive images of the new carpet in use but our newsletter has been chronicling its installation over the last few weeks.
Tea On The Green?
The very latest edition of our Parkers newsletter can be accessed here. Read about the upcoming tea party in support of the Cancer Council where you can say farewell to a stalwart of our club. 'Who is that stalwart?' you might ask - none other than our quirky fading carpet. Some might say, 'good riddance', but be advised, there will be no prize for the first person to say 'I miss our old carpet'. Also in this edition is a fascinating timeline of our club's history, an introduction to Albert and notification of a sale of succulents in the Spring. Succulents? - is that what's been growing on our old carpet?
Rain Delay
Sometimes you just have to accept that bowling isn't going to happen! The advantage of a fast-draining synthetic green, however, is that you probably won't have to wait long before bowling is possible. This snap was taken after a deluge late on Friday afternoon and the green was perfectly usable for a pennant match the following day.