Albury and District bowls clubs have united to form a new competition in lieu of an official pennant season in 2022.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The inaugural Border Club Challenge will start on Saturday with 28 teams represented across five divisions.
Bowls NSW announced a change to its calendar, which didn't include a pennant season in its traditional timeslot, after COVID-enforced delays meant it couldn't complete all scheduled events in 2021.
Albury and District Bowling Association president Rob Unsworth said it was important bowlers still had a competition to play in.
"There won't be a formal competition so to speak, so we've arranged one within the district," he said.
"The district board and the presidents saw it as an opportunity to make sure all the clubs still had the chance to get bowlers in their clubs.
"A lot of clubs, particularly the smaller clubs, the only income they get is over summer."
Unlike traditional pennant, the competition is open gender and players will not be limited to a particular division throughout the season.
ALSO IN SPORT:
Another new feature is the introduction of a powerplay for each team's three rinks per match, where double shots are scored if the nominated side wins the end.
The powerplay must be nominated prior to the jack being rolled and can be taken before the start of any end. Both teams can elect to take the powerplay on the same end.
"I think most clubs will have men and women competing equally together, which is a good thing," Unsworth said.
The top two teams from each division will qualify for the grand final, to be played across two venues, which Unsworth said will allow more people to watch.
"In our other events we've played preliminary rounds at different clubs and the three competitions (open, seniors and president's reserve) for each discipline will come together at the one club on the same day," he said.
"It's also a chance to save some costs on clubs.
"Previously we would have had three greens prepared at three different clubs, but this way we only have to have one green for the semi-finals and finals."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @bordermail
- Follow us on Instagram @bordermail
- Follow us on Google News