Secondary School Cup 2015
Helensvale State High School beats some of the state’s best up-and-comers to take 2015 secondary school challenge Helensvale State High School has taken out the 2015 Bowls Queensland Secondary School Cup in a hotly-fought contest (Sept 12-13).
In a close final round, Helensvale’s Tahlia Camilleri and Shane White took the competition 19+76 over their closest rivals, Atherton State High School’s Toby Furber and Corey Johnson with a 17+64 score.
The Gold Coast team was leading Atherton by a very narrow margin as the schools entered the 10th and final round, but the winning gold medals, shield and cup could have easily gone the other way as several teams looked to improve on their final positions.
“It was great to win, but just being part of the competition was awesome,” Shane White said. “It was great to play against and meet other kids from across the state. We’ve all made some new friends.”
Team-mate Tahlia is new to bowls but says her experience this weekend would make her consider increasing her future participation in the sport.
But for the moment her first love is the hammer-throw, where she represented Queensland at the junior nationals last year and hopes for a future berth.
“My biggest concern was being too heavy with the bowl, and throwing it down the green like it was a hammer,” she said. “But after a bit of practice, I got the hang of it.”
The Helensvale team was coached and managed by Queensland golden girl Lynsey Clarke, who said she was very proud of her young charges’ achievements.
“I didn’t have a lot of work to do,” she said.
The final was played out over two days at Pine Rivers Memorial Bowls Club at Lawnton in Brisbane.
32 bowlers from 15 schools travelled from around Brisbane, as well as Cairns, Mundubbera, Mackay, Rockhampton, Atherton, the Gold Coast, Hervey Bay, Monto, Emerald, Toowoomba, Mount Larcom and northern New South Wales.
The rules of the competition meant that at least one of the two-bowler teams had to have limited experience, but in many cases this weekend’s competition was a first for both team members.
While some of the young bowlers were members of club junior teams, and most had played at a school level, for some this competition was the first time they had ever touched a bowl.
Bowls Queensland Deputy Chair Ron Mitchell, who presided over the final, said he was impressed by the commitment and ability of the bowlers, given their limited experience in many cases.
“Their bowling for the greater part was exceptional and their sportsmanship was exemplary,” he said. “They did their schools, their parents and themselves proud.”
