Wee Waa young gun wins his way through to State Championship bowls tournament

Wee Waa bowler Kyne Allen has won his way through to Bowls NSW’s 2025/26 season State Championships in the reserve singles division after claiming the North West Regional Playoffs at Lightning Ridge on Sunday.

The 17-year-old won six matches and outlasted 32 other competitors in the open gender division this year to be crowned champion.

He prevailed in four of those matches at the Moree Services Bowling Club in July to advance to the region finals at Lightning Ridge, where the four section winners lined up in semi-finals on Sunday morning.

Allen went up against Tamworth City Bowling Club’s Jaiden Elliot in his semi-final, and the two youngsters produced an entertaining match that the Wee Waa bowler won 25 shots to 17.

Like Allen, Elliot won four matches during his sectional play at the South Tamworth Bowling Club last month, and their match on Sunday was a highly-anticipated one.

The eight-shot victory saw the Wee Waa boy go through to Sunday afternoon’s decider against Paul Hine after the Uralla veteran had beaten Glen Innes’ James Thomas 27 shots to 18 in their semi-final.

Allen and Hine contested the closest match in their division as the Wee Waa teenager prevailed 25 shots to 20 to advance to the state playoffs.

The State Championships will be held next year from Monday, June 22, to Wednesday, July 8, at Club Dubbo (West Dubbo), Dubbo RSL Sporties (Dubbo City) and Macquarie Club.

The reserve singles division will be contested from Friday to Sunday, July 3 to 5.

Five other local bowlers travelled to Lightning Ridge to play in the regional finals, all of whom competed across the pairs divisions on Saturday.

Fellow Wee Waa bowler Kay Dewson teamed up with Lightning Ridge’s Stacey Reynolds, who was a sub for Wee Waa’s Dot Dewson. They played the senior women’s pairs division and went down 24 shots to 16 against South Tamworth’s Ingrid Harriott and Cheryl Douglas.

Harriott and Douglas were then downed 21 shots to nine by clubmates Christine Myers and Carol White in the decider.

Narrabri Bowling Club’s Helen Woodward and Eva Sadler went straight through to the final of the women’s pairs division, with only three duos lining up in the finals series.

They met Sherilee and Zoe Stewart in the final, and the West Tamworth Sports and Bowling Club duo prevailed 23 shots to 11 to cap off a strong showing after they had claimed their semi-final 29 shots to seven.

Fellow Narrabri Bowling Club bowlers Tony Redman and Graham Rose played in the senior men’s pairs division and went down 17 shots to 12 in their semi-final clash against Armidale City Bowling Club’s Lawrence Judd and Peter Doyle.

The Armidale men then lost the final 23 shots to nine against Gunnedah’s Grahame Hall and Graeme Cameron.