pennant season - thank you

Hi everyone, I hope you all are staying safe during this crazy and hectic time we are experiencing at the moment and self-isolating and socially distancing as much as possible. This can be a very lonely and isolating experience and it’s up to us to look after each other and support our mates, the following is a suggestion from my academy coach (Linda Warbuton) to all WA bowlers to help out those who may not be coping well with our current situation;

Let’s challenge everyone to text or call someone from your club who may be feeling a little uneasy during this awful time. I’m sure there would be many who are feeling very lonely not having the bowls contacts they normally have a couple of times a week. Am sure there are many men and women from your club who would appreciate this gesture. I know our number one priority is to look after ourselves and our families, but this would be a good thing to do in the current climate... Merely a suggestion and no one is compelled to do it...

On a much happier note I wanted to reach out and comment on our stellar 2019/20 Men’s pennant season. We had an awesome season this year with 7 of our 8 pennant teams finishing in the top 3, which is arguably the clubs most successful pennant season to date! Our hard work, dedication and strong camaraderie resulted in 4 of our teams finishing on top of the ladder and receiving automatic promotion. Congratulations to every single playing member of the club as you have all contributed and played vital roles in achieving these momentous promotions for our club. Our achievements are as follows;

THURSDAY

- 1 BLUE: Finished 3rd and qualified for Promotion playoff for 1 WHITE (Awaiting further information from Bowls WA as to whether these will go ahead). However it is the 1st timein the clubs history we have retained our position in 1 BLUE.

- 3 GOLD: Finished 1st (AUTOMATIC PROMOTION!). Will play 2nd Division next year. Awesome effort.

- 4 GOLD: Finished 1st (AUTOMATIC PROMOTION!). Will play 3rd Division next year. Once again a fantastic achievement.

- 5 GOLD: Finished 2nd. Very unlucky as they had a chance to play the team above them in the last game of the year to potentially win promotion into 4th division. Well done guys on a great season.

SATURDAY

- 2 GOLD: Finished 1st by a mammoth 25.5 point lead with two games to go (AUTOMATIC PROMOTION!). Will play 1 BLUE next season. First time since the 2011/12 season we have been in first division on a Saturday and first time EVER the club has had first division teams on both Thursday and Saturday in the same season.

- 3 GOLD: Finished 1st knocking Doubleview off top spot in the final game of the season (AUTOMATIC PROMOTION!). Will play 2nd Division next year, first time the club has had both 1stand 2nd division teams in the same season (same for Thursday). Stellar achievement.

- 4 GOLD: Finished 2nd. Qualified for promotion playoff (awaiting further information from Bowls WA). Great season and awesome effort.

- 5 GOLD: Finished 7th. The enthusiasm and flexibility shown by the guys playing in this division is to be commended. It was a constantly changing team due to external circumstances (i.e player availability/ unavailabilities) and you guys showed up each week competed really hard and showed the true Joondalup Bowling Club spirit.

If you look through these achievements we have made this year you will see so many firsts for our great club. The securing of both 1st  and 2nd division teams on both Thursday and Saturday is massive for our club and really sets the tone of our club as one that is extremely competitive and driven to achieve our goals. These higher divisions also make the club look really appealing to possible high level recruits for the future, and is putting our club on the bowls map. However the competitive spirit is not only seen in those top division but throughout our whole club both within the great results we achieved and the will to win we see from our team mates each and every time we step onto the green. The push from all players wanting to play in a higher division has been great to see this year and really illustrates how eager we are to succeed.

The following are our team goals for the season I outlined at our pre season presentation:

• PROMOTION:PROMOTION IN EVERY DIVISION: EASIEST WAY IS TO FINISH 1ST

• PENNANT: AIM TO WIN 1 PENNANT THIS YEAR FOR OUR CLUB

• EVERY DIVISION SHOULD AIM TO BE IN THE TOP 4 ON THE LADDER BY CHRISTMAS BREAK

• WE ALL AIM TO PLAY TO THE ABSOLUTE BEST OF OUR ABILITY AND REPRESENT THE CLUB WITH PRIDE AND DIGNITY

I think it is safe to say that we can be very proud of our achievements and we achieved far more of our goals than we would have expected at the start of the season. I think it is clear to see our club has grown tremendously this year both on and off the green. Our bowls has improved greatly but the most pleasing thing for me is the closeness of our club and the team cohesion we have had this year. Whether that’s in my personal experience our whole division staying out on the green until all rinks have finished and providing support, or all of our players coming together and having a beer together after the game and enjoying each other’s company and forming close bonds.

I would like to thank each and every single person involved in our pennants this year for the acceptance and treatment I received in my first year as Chairman of Selectors. I would also like to thank my fellow selectors; Colin Shier, Geoff Stevenson, Lance Farrow, John Ferguson and Don Pike, as well as thanking the committee for their endless support throughout the season.

Once again congratulations everyone on a really successful season, you have all done the club proud and I am really looking forward to next season. Stay safe and healthy and I’ll see all back on the greens soon.

Ben Leggett

Chairman of Selectors

The Board discussed several areas that would be specifically affected by the onset of Covid-19 and agreed to the following actions accordingly: 

3.3.1 Men’s pennants 

The CEO recommended that at this time all fixtures were postponed and as they became “due” each would be abandoned as required. This would ensure the season was not cut short and that the full number of rounds were played out according to the regulations detailed in the BWA Handbook. Once the season concluded next Saturday, with points evenly shared, that would then signal the opportunity to announce automatic promotions and demotions. These would be honoured for the 2020/21 season. Those promotions and demotions that required the playing of one or more fixtures would be postponed until no further time was available; this would likely be 1st October, following which are decision would be made on any further action. This remained in line with the requirements of the Handbook and regulations communicated pre-season. 

The Board accepted this position, with information as above to be forwarded to clubs following the likely abandonment of Round 18. At this time however it was readily acknowledged that the priorities of the Association remained both the safety of the members and the financial sustainability of the clubs. NOTED.