Some bowlers rely on impeccable technique.
Others depend on years of experience.
Stewie Allen occasionally turns to a less conventional strategy.
At Winter Bowls on Saturday, 27 June 2026, he once again unveiled his now-famous orangutan impression.
This was not a first.
Stewie was photographed performing the same routine during a championship match on 17 November 2024 in what some suspected was an attempt to unsettle his opponent, Neil Fisher.
The resulting photograph was later judged Photo of the Year.
See the two orangutan photos here
Apparently satisfied that the tactic still had merit, Stewie brought it out again last Saturday.
His immediate opponent, Bobby Rutten, appeared completely unfazed, responding with little more than a smile.
Whether the orangutan impression had any influence on the result remains open to debate.
What is beyond dispute is that Stewie finished the day as the overall best bowler, collecting the prize money and keeping himself firmly in contention for the 2026 Saturday Winter Bowls title.
He currently sits third in a tightly contested leading group that includes Steve van der Veen, Paul Badenoch, Alan Speck and Libby Lock.
The statistics don't yet recognise the orangutan as an approved coaching aid. But the evidence is becoming difficult to ignore.
