North West Bowls’ 2025/26 season’s state championships qualifying campaign began last weekend and will continue this Saturday and Sunday, with both Narrabri Bowling Club and Wee Waa Bowling Club well represented.
Senior singles action kicked off the season on Saturday, with the men’s and ladies’ divisions both being played across four venues.
The men’s matches were contested in Moree, Armidale, Manilla and South Tamworth, and the ladies’ games were held in Moree, Armidale, West Tamworth and Kootingal.
The section winners at each of the venues qualified for the regional finals that will be held in Lightning Ridge on Sunday, August 31.
There were only two ladies who registered to play in Moree on Saturday, which saw Narrabri clubmates Eva Sadler and Cindy Neil meet in what was the sectional final. Sadler won that contest 25 shots to 19 after the two bowlers were level at 19-all late in the match.
There were no Wee Waa or Narrabri bowlers in action at any of the other three venues.
There were five men who entered to play in the men’s senior singles at Moree on Saturday, which included Narrabri’s Tony Redman and Wee Waa duo Bruce Cowan and Steve Berger.
Berger outscored his clubmate 25 shots to 15 in the only round one match that was played, and he then defeated Redman 25 shots to 14 in the semi-final.
The other semi-final was scheduled to be an all-Moree contest between Raymond Dennison and Leslie Tighe, but Tighe forfeited that match and Dennison progressed straight through to the final against Berger on Sunday morning.
Berger got off to a slow start to that match as he trailed 20 shots to four at one stage. He then began to fight back but went down 25 shots to 15 in the end.
There were no Wee Waa or Narrabri bowlers in action at any of the other three venues in the men’s senior singles.
The men’s and ladies’ state singles and the open reserve singles competitions will all get underway this weekend.
The men’s singles matches will be held in Lightning Ridge, Glen Innes, Tamworth and Manilla, and the ladies’ singles matches will be played in Kootingal, Lightning Ridge and South Tamworth.
Wee Waa Bowling Club’s Ty Baker and Narrabri Bowling Club’s Lisa Pillar will both travel over to Lightning Ridge to compete in their respective competitions, the same venue that the regional finals will be played at on Sunday, August 31.
Open reserve singles will be played in Moree, Glen Innes, and South and West Tamworth. Wee Waa brothers Kyne and Brock Allen will travel to Moree to take part, with Kyne to line up in the first of four rounds on Saturday morning and Brock going straight through to round two on Saturday afternoon.
The section winners will contest the regional finals at Lightning Ridge on Sunday, August 31.
The senior pairs playoffs will get underway on Saturday, July 26, with men’s matches to be played at Moree, Armidale, Tamworth and West Tamworth.
Wee Waa’s Steve Berger and Bruce Cowan will team up in Tamworth while Narrabri’s Graham Rose and Tony Redman play together in Moree.
The ladies’ senior pairs matches will be played Moree, Armidale and South Tamworth.
Wee Waa’s Dot Dewson and Kay Dewson and Narrabri’s Cindy Neil and Debbie Gleeson will be in action in Moree.
The winning teams from each section will then progress to the regional finals that will be held at Lightning Ridge on Saturday, August 30.
The men’s pairs, ladies’ pairs and open reserve pairs will all be played in August.
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