Brennan bowls with the best
Ararat lawn bowler Karen Brennan has competed against some of the sport’s best at the Australian Open Bowls Championship in Queensland.
The Chalambar Bowls Club member competed in singles, pairs and fours events at different locations.
Brennan said she contested her three singles games in torrential rain at Musgrave Hill.
“You have a time limit of twoand-a-quarter hours to complete each match,” she said.
“It was the worst weather I have ever played in. I went through so many towels to try to dry my bowl and hands to be able to hold the bowl.
“Unfortunately, I lost my first match 21 shots to 20 to a NSW lady, then I played Canadian and current Victorian open champion Kelly Mckerihen and lost 21 to 16.
“After three rain delays we were tied on score three times.”
Brennan said the green was under two inches of water.
“We were forced to stop until the green drained, then continued playing in the rain,” she said.
Brennan won her final singles match 21-15. She teamed with Echuca’s Veronica Kelly for the pairs competition.
They drew in their first match, 16-all after 15 ends, before winning their second match by one shot, 16-15.
“In the third match we played the Malaysian champion pairs players who will be competing in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast,” Brennan said.
She said the final score of 26-9 did not give a true account of the competitive match.
“It was the best day for us,” she said. “On at least six ends we had at least two or three shots under half a foot from the jack, one was even within an inch of the jack.
“Through shear brilliance from the skip and number-two ranked player in Malaysia, she would play perfect weight and convert to give her team shot or three shots on numerous occasions.
“We played well but they played a bit better, just too good on the day.”
Brennan said the match was one of the best bowling experiences of her life.
“It was a real credit to the Malaysian pair who displayed total professionalism and sportsmanship,” she said.
“This is what I came for, to get this type of experience. It was just wonderful.”
Brennan started off her fours competition with a one-shot loss to New Zealand.
“In our second game we won by a shot on the last end to a Queensland combination and in the final game we won 15 shots to 9 against a talented young team from New South Wales.
“This made us tied on points with the last team we played. We had to go two shots up to decide who would win our section to gain a spot in knockout rounds.”
Brennan said unfortunately, her team was unable to get over the line.
“We were disappointed not to win our section but overall pleased with how we competed for the week in our first ever time of playing at the highest level,” she said.
“I found it to be a fantastic experience meeting some wonderful people and very talented players.
“I now know I can compete with some of the best players which is very encouraging.”