Bowls Australia crown nation’s finest
BA has crowned the year’s finest bowlers and administrators during the Awards Night
Amongst the glitz and glamour at the Park Hyatt Melbourne, Bowls Australia has crowned the year’s finest bowlers and administrators during the annual BCiB Awards Night.
Widely touted as two of the nation’s brightest future prospects, Western Australia’s Kristina Krstic and NSW’s Sean Mawdsley have claimed the top honours in the under-18 categories.
After narrowly losing the gong at last year’s inaugural event, Krstic added yet another chapter to her already highly decorated career, collecting the Taylor Bowls Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year award courtesy of another sensational year.
Krstic commenced 2011 with a stunning performance against New Zealand that assisted the nation reclaim the Junior Trans Tasman trophy with a test to spare, before defending her singles title at the Australian Under-18 Championships and capturing silver in the pairs discipline. She capped off the year by claiming the WA Women’s State Pairs.
In the men’s category, Mawdsley was just as dominant, commencing the year with victories at the NSW Under-18 Championships in the pairs and fours, before producing a stunning national campaign during his first attempt at the Australian Under-18 Championships. Mawdsley collected two gold medals from as many disciplines; capturing the singles title against defending champion and last year’s award winner Dylan Fisher and triumphing in the pairs event; in the process assisting his state secure the overall boys' and overall winner’s trophies.
It is no surprise that after such a successful year, Mawdsley’s state coach, Jack Hawkins, scooped one of the sport’s biggest gongs, winning the ACEIT Coach of the Year award.
Hawkins coached the NSW under-18 boys’ team to the overall champions trophy at the Australian Under-18 Championships with a clean sweep of all four disciplines by a record margin of 12 points, and was recognised as the NSW coach of the year.
Hawkins has been actively involved in coaching at club, zone and state level for a number of years and is a highly respected coach and mentor.
The professional administrator of the year accolade was presented to Moama Bowling Club’s chief executive officer Paul Barnes, while Sunbury’s Mark Cowan and Webbcona’s Valerie Savage were confirmed as the Rising Stars Volunteer Administrator and Bowlswear Volunteer of the Year
Barnes has been involved in the club industry for 24 years, but it was the staging of the 2011 Moama International Series, which featured old enemies Australia, England and Scotland and the tremendous community support shown by the Moama Bowling Club that earned him the reward.
Through pokies revenue, the club supported numerous community groups in sponsorship and in kind services to the value of $300,000 in 2011.
Joining Barnes on the winner’s list was Mark Cowan, who spreads his time between three demanding volunteer committee positions while also heading up the role of Victoria and Tasmania’s National Training Centre coach for Bowls Australia.
Having represented Victoria on 232 occasions, Cowan is currently involved at Sunbury Bowls Club, while also acting as Bowls Australia’s national officiating director and part of World Bowls laws and constitution committee.
While Webbcona’s Valerie Savage has been an exemplary volunteer throughout 2011 and is a deserving winner of the Bowlswear Volunteer of the Year award. In addition to assisting with weekly pennant within her region, Savage served on the Ballarat Division Transitional Committee who assisted with the implementation of Bowls Victoria unification.
Savage worked tirelessly to schedule volunteer shifts during the 2011 and 2012 Australian Open, an imperative role to ensure that an event the size of the Australian Open runs smoothly.
Meanwhile, for Peter Delaney it was a case of second time lucky as he triumphed in his Official of the Year category after being edged out by Mark Cowan for the Rising Stars Volunteer Administrator.
With in-excess of 30 years experience, international technical official Delaney officiated at the 2011 Australian Open and Asia Pacific Championships, while serving on the Bowls Australia national officiating committee and as chair of the Bowls Victoria laws and rules committee.
While the voice of bowls and host of the Lawn Bowls World radio show, Patrick McErlean, secured the Story of the Year for his reporting on Bowls Australia’s national and international events throughout 2011.
McErlean’s radio show has substantially raised the profile of lawn bowl and its athletes worldwide.
Congratulations to Kristina, Sean, Paul, Mark, Jack, Peter, Patrick and Valerie.
Taylor Bowls Under-18 Female Bowler of the Year
Winner: Kristina Krstic (Manning Bowling Club, WA)
Runner-up: Renee McPharlin (Balaklava, SA)
Under-18 Male Bowler of the Year
Winner: Sean Mawdsley (Warilla, NSW)
Runner-up: Dylan Fisher (Melbourne, VIC)
Professional Administrator of the Year
Winner: Paul Barnes (Moama, VIC)
Runner-up: Greg Kelly (Tweed Heads, NSW)
Rising Stars Volunteer Administrator of the Year
Winner: Mark Cowan (Sunbury, VIC)
Runner-up: Peter Delaney (Mulgrave, VIC)
ACEIT Coach of the Year
Winner: Jack Hawkins (Cronulla, NSW)
Runner-up: Faye Luke (Bowls SA)
Official of the Year
Winner: Peter Delaney (Mulgrave, VIC)
Runner-up: Beth Young (Mt Barker, SA)
Story of the Year
Winner: Patrick McErlean (Lawn Bowls World radio show)
Runner-up: Tim Noonan (Channel 7, SA)
Bowlswear Volunteer of the Year
Winner: Valerie Savage (Webbcona, VIC)
Runner-up: Pamela Hockings (Engadine, NSW)