The team at the Young Bowling Club are preparing for their biggest fortnight of the year as hundreds of bowlers descend on town for the annual Cherry Festival Bowls Tournament.
The tournament will kick off today, Tuesday, November 15 with the 18th annual Women’s Triples.
The women’s event will take place over two days, with 32 teams registered to compete.
The 96 women bowlers will travel from all over the state to take part in the event.
The women’s tournament will be followed by the two-day mixed competition which will commence on Friday and will run into the weekend. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Mixed Pairs competition which has attracted 84 bowlers.
The fun continues on November 22 as the men’s tournament kicks off for an intense three days of play.
Women’s Bowling Club president, Elsie Hines, said the men’s tournament will attract 126 players to form 42 teams for the triples competition.
She said a number of the players return each year, even some with hopes of regaining their title.
“[They keep coming back] because of the friendships they make and it’s just a good tournament, it’s run very well,” Elsie said.
“Some people have played in every Mixed Tournament since it began, and the last three winners of our mixed tournament are coming back this year to defend their title.”
Another attraction of the tournament is the standard competition it draws - some of who have competed at state championships – as well as the quality of the greens.
“The greens are running very well and they’re quite fast, so high skills are going to be needed!” Elsie said.
She said a number of revenues in town will benefit from the carnival.
“Some of them stay for the two weeks and play in the three tournaments,” Elsie said.
“There’s a lot of people and it’s so good because it brings people into town and a lot do their Christmas shopping while they’re here.
“It helps all the retail businesses, plus everyone has to eat, accommodation, and it’s good for our club in terms of revenue.”
