Hawks get the COCC Pairs Double

by bwilson on October 23, 2025

The Helensvale teams were nothing short of superb throughout the competition, though their paths to the podium weren’t without turbulence.

Women’s Pairs

Soon-to-be World Bowls Hall of Fame inductee Ellen Falkner MBE and her lead, Brenda Thompson, set the pace in sectional play. They opened with a comfortable win in round one, but rounds two and three were much tighter, coming down to crucial moments in the final ends.

Round two was a mammoth tussle against Queensland representative Wendy Wilson and her partner Lauren Schultz. Falkner and Thompson built a strong lead early, but Wilson produced decisive conversions to keep Pine Rivers in the contest. On the penultimate end, Wilson attempted a difficult last bowl to kill the end, just missing what could have been a match-turning four. On the final end, Wilson again played a brilliant conversion to hold four, but Falkner calmly drew shot with her last bowl – class and composure on full display.

The last sectional round was a true ‘David vs Goliath’ battle against the undefeated underdogs from Bargara. Judith Nowell and Elizabeth Beale pushed the Hawks all the way, but Falkner and Thompson prevailed 22-18 to book their gold medal place.

On the other side of the draw, Souths Suburban’s local champions Charmayne Sleeman and Jo-Ann Inch swept through rounds one and two, with strong wins over Boonooroo-Sandy Straits (27-13) and Warwick East (23-15). Their third-round clash was a thriller, with Edge Hill’s Cornelia Smith and Jackaroos Academy member Emma Rowbotham falling just one shot short, 17-16.

In the gold medal match, the class of Falkner and Thompson proved too strong as they cruised to a 28-11 win. The bronze medal playoff was a much tighter affair. The Williams sisters built an early lead over Bargara’s Nowell and Beale, only for the latter to claw their way back. On the final end, Nowell was holding two to force an extra end until Nicole Williams stepped up with her last bowl, drawing shot under pressure to seal a 19-16 win.

Men’s Pairs

With Fraser Coast’s Nic Gosley and Brendan Wrice withdrawing, Section 1 became a three-way contest. Jubilee’s Ben and Justin Cribbin and North Toowoomba’s Luke Day and Jason Grundon both defeated Emerald’s Kristopher Stefaniuk and Mark Gallagher, setting up a winner-takes-all clash.

The Cribbin brothers raced to a 13-5 lead before Day and Grundon fought back strongly. A four on the 20th end set up a dramatic finish, with Day needing two for a draw and a gold medal spot. His last bowl was agonisingly heavy, trickling into the ditch to hand Jubilee a 17-16 win.

Section 2 was stacked with talent. Pine Rivers’ Ryan Burnett (ex-Scottish international) and Queensland rep Aaron Hewson opened with a dominant 32-11 win, while Helensvale’s Brett Wilkie – also about to enter the World Bowls Hall of Fame – and former Queensland rep Mark Thatcher cruised to a 33-6 victory.

The round two showdown between Wilkie’s and Burnett’s pairs was world-class. Helensvale jumped to a six-shot lead, only for Pine Rivers to hit back with six of their own. The teams traded blows, locked 19-all with three ends remaining. Pine Rivers edged ahead 21-20 heading into the last end, but Wilkie and Thatcher produced the decisive shots to take the win. They went on to defeat The Waves in their final sectional game to secure a gold medal clash with Jubilee.

The final was a battle of inches. Wilkie and Thatcher led 14-7 midway, but the Cribbin brothers fought back to trail by just one with two ends to play. On the penultimate end, Justin Cribbin narrowly missed a conversion that would have held two for the extra end. On the last, Wilkie drew a perfect back toucher, hidden behind the head, to lock in gold for Helensvale. His fist pump said it all.

In the bronze medal playoff, Burnett and Hewson jumped out to an early lead over North Toowoomba and never looked back, cruising to a 28-8 victory.

Congratulations to all sectional winners on reaching the state finals, and special thanks to the event sponsors BioScapes, North Mackay Bowls Club, Goosies Sport & Recreation Club, and Daly Bay for their support in making this event possible.

For full results CLICK HERE.