Bowl’s most outstanding performers of 2021 and 2022, and the sport’s greatest achievers, have been recognised at the Bowls Australia Hall of Fame and Annual Awards Night held overnight on the Gold Coast.
The red carpet was rolled out at Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, as the best national and international bowlers were celebrated, including Male and Female Bowler of the Year, International Male and Female Bowler of the Year, Bowler with a Disability of the Year and Club of the Year among many others.
Among the guests in attendance were a number of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists.
Major Events Gold Coast (MEGC) was proud to support the Female Bowler of the Year award, awarded to Kelsey Cottrell from Queensland. Fellow Queenslander Nick Cahill took out Male Bowler of the Year, while yet another Queensland bowler, Lynsey Clarke, won International Female Bowler of the Year. NSW bowler Aaron Wilson was awarded International Male Bowler of the Year.
Major Events Gold Coast CEO Jan McCormick said MEGC was proud to be able to continue to support Bowls Australia events on the Gold Coast.
“The Gold Coast has well and truly become the home of bowls with a long list of prestigious national bowls events being hosted in the city, including the Australian Open and the World Bowls Championships in 2023,” said Ms McCormick.
“These fantastic events bring thousands of competitors, their families and spectators to our city which in turn delivers a huge boost to our local economy.”
Along with the individual award winners, the Awards also celebrated the achievements of five bowlers who were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Three more bowlers were elevated to Hall of Fame Legend – Karen Murphy AM, Stephen Glasson OAM and Robert Parrella OAM. The Australian bowlers each have long and decorated careers, between them winning multiple Commonwealth Games gold medals and World Bowls Championships.
Bowls Australia’s CEO Neil Dalrymple said Gold Coast was the perfect backdrop to the sport’s night of nights.
“The Gold Coast is a heartland for the sport of bowls and was an ideal setting to showcase the achievements of both the sport’s grassroots and high-performance elite at the Hall of Fame and Awards Night, where many Queenslander’s contributions were recognised.”
The Hall of Fame and Awards Night is part of the 2022 National Festival of Bowls underway on the Gold Coast until 14 October.
The Nationals brings together six of the sport’s most coveted national events across two weeks of exciting bowls action with more national titles set to be bestowed across the 15-day period than at other time in the sport’s history.
“The Nationals highlights why our city is now recognised as one of the best destinations for major sport, across the globe,’’ said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.
“Hosting this tournament is a major coup for our city and is the first time six national titles will be on the line at the one event.
“Our current global ranking for Bets Sports Cities is No 26 and I’m confident that major tournaments like this, followed by the World Bowls Championships in 2023, will further boost our stakes as a place to compete, and enjoy, sport.”
Today the bowls action rolls on with the Australian Championships underway at Broadbeach Bowls Club until Friday 14 October.