SHAKE UP HITS LOCAL BOWLS

MALE skippers including former Australian player Matt Flapper have been booted off their Geelong Midweek competition mats following a lawn bowlers’ backlash.

A survey of bowlers has come out strongly against the inaugural open Midweek competition — and the Geelong region’s board has decided to scrap it at season’s end.

Instead, the Midweek competition, formerly known as ladies pennant, will revert to a restricted format with a minimum of two women per rink, which must be skipped by a woman.

A separate women’s only competition will also be held if there is sufficient support.

Geelong Bowls Region president Robin Roberts said the results of the survey were overwhelmingly in favour of change.

“There have been quite a few disgruntled lady bowlers with the open format saying they’ve been forced out of bowls, so we did a survey as required of all members in the GBR and it was almost two to one in favour of converting back to a restricted format,” Roberts said.

“There was also about 25 per cent of people who wanted us to investigate a (separate) women’s only competition, but that will only go ahead if it is a viable competition.”

Flapper is among some of the best male bowlers in the region who have been skipping in Midweek bowls under the new open format introduced this season but it’s been a hot topic in bowls clubs amid fears for the future of women’s bowling.

The fact that Saturday and Midweek competitions will in future have different gender eligibility is likely to continue to stir debate. But Roberts said the GBR had to act to protect the future of women’s bowling in the region.

“There were concerns that there would be a reduction in the number of ladies participating,” he said.

“For the stronger lady bowlers, they love it because they can compete as well, if not better, than the men, so they were happy with the open format.

“The top 20 per cent can probably handle it, but the others struggle with it a little bit and they play it to enjoy it, they don’t want to play and get belted.”

Bowls authorities have embraced equal opportunity in the sport since a landmark ruling about 20 years ago and the number of male bowlers in the Midweek competition has progressively grown in recent years, while women are allowed to play in Saturday pennant, predominantly a men’s competition, without restriction.

In recent years the Midweek competition in Geelong had allowed men to play but ensured only women were selected in the pivotal skipping roles.

An overwhelming 58 per cent of the 1758 responses to the Geelong Bowls Region’s member survey voted in favour of a return to that restricted format.

That was almost double the number of members who voted in favour of continuing an open competition with men playing in any position in any number.

The proposed women’s only competition of nine-aside two-bowl triples will require at least five clubs to enter at least eight teams if it is to be viable.

The return to a restricted Midweek competition will be in place for the next three seasons.