Sport
13 August, 2021
Bowls for all abilities
Mackay City Bowls Club recently hosted the Queensland State Disability Championships. Bowlers from throughout the state competed over the 4-day event.
These championships involve four disability groups: Sporting Wheelies (Physical), Hearing Impaired, Vision Impaired and Life Stream (Intellectual).
Babinda based bowler, Bandon Smith, representing South Johnstone teamed with Jake Fehlberg in the Blind Open Pairs.
In this division bowlers compete with the aid of a Director who assists them with ‘sighting’ each play.
The Blind Open Pairs was won by Brandon Smith with his grandmother Maisie Smith as Director and Jake Fehlberg with father Grant Fehlberg as Director, after defeating Helen Boardman with Director Peter Doherty (Enoggera) and June Brittain with daughter Christine McDonald as Director (Edmonton) in the final.
Smith and Fehlberg were cruising at 9-1 until a big comeback from Boardman and Brittain to draw level at 9 all.
Smith and Fehlberg steadied to win four of the last five ends to claim the title. Vanessa Hinton (New Farm) and Lynne Seymour with Director Bob Seymour (Thuringowa) took home the Bronze Medal.
In the Sporting Wheelies Women’s Singles, Louise Hoskins also from South Johnstone took home the silver medal.
In the Hard of Hearing Open Pairs, the teaming of Barry Lynne from Mareeba and Russell Jackson from Airlie Beach proved to be the winning combination, defeating Eric Smith from Beenleigh and Andrew Crosbie from Airlie Beach.
