The Gippsland Bowls Region Champion of Champion Singles winners for 2023/2024 are Stratford’s Leonie Flynn and Sale’s Andrew Bell.
The Champion of Champions brings together the reigning club champions from all of the Gippsland Regions clubs, who competed for the title of the best of the best at the Bairnsdale Bowls Club on the weekend.
Recent winners include Heyfield’s champion Rohan Kelly, Bradley Lancaster and Brad Montant in the men’s, and Joanne Martin, Gail McKenzie, Pam Carter and Colleen Such in the womens.
The mens event saw 11 bowlers contest the knockout event, while nine ladies went for glory.
While the fields were down in numbers, they were certainly laden with quality.
The mens field containing Jason White (Stratford), Shane Holmes (Heyfield), Wayne Morris (West Sale), Adam Bartram (Maffra), Rhys Selleck (Paynesville), Bruce Kneebone (Orbost), John Nash (Bairnsdale), Ronald McDonald (Metung), Lui Moselle (Bairnsdale Golf), Stephen Brill (Lindenow) and Bell.
Women participants were Lee Wojcinski (Heyfield), Angela Boyd (Bairnsdale Golf), Lillibeth Hochkins (Lakes Entrance), McKenzie (West Sale), Jan Morton (Sale), Ashlee-Dixon Tong (Lindenow), Lyn O’Brien (Maffra), Wendy Helms (Yarram) and Flynn.
In the ladies finale, Flynn had to overcome painful leg cramps to get through and achieve a gritty win, over the equally determined McKenzie, 25-19, in a high quality game of local bowls.
Bell drew away from Morris to win the game, 25-17, in front of an enthusiastic audience, with the crowd enjoying the quality of play in the grand and semi finals that were played on Sunday.
Flynn and Bell will now represent the region at Bendigo in the Champion of Champion State Title in April.
