Sport
9 October, 2026
Victory by Paterson in gripping singles showdown
A GRIPPING singles showdown set the tone for a packed week at Innisfail Bowls Club, with Helen Paterson edging out Ann Rule 25-22 in a hard fought clash on 30 September to keep the 2027 Innisfail Ladies Singles Championship wide open.
The tight contest paved the way for decisive results across both championship and social bowls.
The ladies championship triples final delivered a commanding performance from Dell Steve, Louise Hoskins and Carol McRobbie, who claimed a dominant 35-9 victory over Bev Anderson, Christine Pascoe and Dian Catelan.
In social bowls, Kath O’Brien, Jan Dunn and Maisie Smith posted an 18-12 win over Daphne Kirkman, Diana O’Brien and Julie Conners, rounding out a strong week for the club’s women bowlers.
Competitive play continued at Thursday afternoon men’s social bowls on 1 October, where skip Wayne O’Neill, alongside Steve Howe, Warren Sinclair, Blake Moreland and Dennis McAlister secured a tight 24-22 win. They finished just ahead of the team skipped by Geoff Johnston, Sam Pagano and John Fossey rounding out another afternoon of close contests.
The weekend prior, 26-27 September, saw the greens packed for the Innisfail Men’s Bowls invitational fours, attracting 72 bowlers from across the region and offering $8000 in prize money.
Teams from Innisfail, South Johnstone, Silkwood, Cairns, the Tablelands, Ingham, Tully and Weipa played five games of 16 ends across two days, with scoring based on wins plus aggregate margins. Any dead ends saw the jack re-spotted.
Despite heavy rain threatening Saturday’s play, bowlers pushed through to complete all games, with the day’s winners being Wayne Hewitt, Gary Terry, Rob Wilson and Mac Smith. Clear skies on Sunday allowed for a hot breakfast, two final games and presentations.
The Weipa team claimed the top prize of $2400, with second place earning $1600, third $1000, and fourth $600. After five games, second and third place finished level on 8+77, but Ben Cribbin’s team secured the runner up position on countback with a final game margin of 2+23, ahead of Kevin Foord’s side on 2+17.
Results:
1st place: Louis Drake, Scott McDowall, Fraser Maguire, and Carl Schapel – 8+83
2nd place: Ben Cribbin, Shaun Anderson, Mick Robinson and Hayden Hohnke – 8+77
3rd place: Kevin Foord, Wayne Petroholis, Kevin Deegan and Alf Strano – 8+77
4th place: Ben Moore, Lyle Braggins, Nicholas Twining and Malachy McTaggart – 8+73.