NEW South Wales won the Balranald Ex-Services Bowling Club test match against Victoria for the first time in ten years last Sunday.
Club president Sue Balshaw said she was delighted to finally beat the Victorians and see participation numbers rise.
“It was great to win for the first time in ten years,” she said. “We normally get smashed by Victoria because they have pretty strong teams, and besides Murray Downs, we’ve got mostly smaller clubs, but it looks like they have more members this year which is fantastic to see.”
The annual shield has been played for over 20 years and was staged for the first time since before the pandemic. It pits bowls clubs from the NSW side of the Murray against those from the Victorian side.
Balranald, Tooleybuc, Moulamein and Murray Downs defeated the Victorian conglomerate of Swan Hill, Lake Boga, Nyah, Swan Hill Racecourse and Manangatang.
“Our players come from what we call the Murray Valley playing area with teams from New South Wales and Victoria,” Mrs Balshaw said.
“We’ve just got to get a balance of equal clubs from both states, but besides that, bowlers of any quality can play.”
Getting right into the spirit of the state rivalry, the club applied coloured discs to the bowls matching both state’s colours, but it was all for a bit of fun, says Mrs Balshaw.
“It’s all for fun, and everyone has a great time – we give them morning tea and lunch, so it’s a nice social day – and the weather made it even better,” she said.
“It’s usually run the Sunday of the NSW Labour Day long weekend, and then the pennant season starts the following week, which is what’s happening this year.”
Prize money was awarded to the best-performed sides from both states, with Lake Boga and Murray Downs taking home the reward.
