Brad and Kiri blaze trail for Victoria
RISING Geelong bowls stars Brad Pavey and Kiri Bourke have helped guide Victoria past Tasmania in its six-Test series at Deer Park this week.
The under-18 female Test series was won 6-0 by Victoria, while the under-18 males series was a closer result with Victoria winning 4-2.
The six-Test series was played on excellent greens at the Deer Park venue where Bourke won all three of her battles.
Last Tuesday she scored a 27-11 singles win, on Wednesday a 19-13 pairs win and on Thursday another 25-17 singles win.
Pavey won his triples last Tuesday with a 20-8 winning margin, but on Wednesday lowered his colours to lose the first match of pairs 8-18.
The second pairs match was a different event as Pavey skipped his combination to a 24-11 victory.
Pavey plays locally with Leopold where the Pavey involvement in bowls is strong. Brad joins his father Craig and both grandparents Col and Glenda skipping in the top Leopold team of GBR Pennant.
At 17, Pavey has achieved plenty and coming into his third season he has already won the Victoria under-18 triples, the GBR under-18 singles three seasons in a row and is the reigning GBR novice champion.
Bourke started playing her bowls at Maryborough as a 10-year-old.
She’s now 14 and playing at Ocean Grove.
And, like Pavey, she follows in the footsteps of her mother, father and grandmother and has won gold at the 2016 Nationals in the girls pairs.
Also this year, she won the Goldfields District Champion of Champions aas well as her first club championship title.