There was plenty happening at Winter Bowls on Saturday 22 August 2026.
Greens Manager Russell Moore was greatly relieved to give bowls the go-ahead after so many recent cancellations due to rain.
And considering the weather of recent weeks, the photos show the greens were in remarkably good condition. Take a bow, elite greenkeeper James Gregory.
Despite the shortage of bowls in August, club coach Izzy Trenorden unleashed his sublime style.
It was especially good to welcome back Lyn Witt and Peter Welsh after extended periods of recuperation.
We await the return of others, including Derrick Witt, Peter Quick and Joanne Kirby.
Meanwhile, Silvio Marrollo's Santa Claus beard grew impressively during the 17-day break from Winter Bowls.
Sadly, Tom Morgan wasted $5 buying a second-hand hi-vis top, only to discover that the Brightest Bowler Awards had been announced three days earlier.
Former Brightest Bowler champion Bobby Rutten was still smarting from his failure to retain the title and provocatively arrived in a multi-coloured top that might have been a serious contender—had he thought to wear it earlier.
Not to be outdone, the supremely confident Stewie Allen, newly crowned Brightest Male Bowler for 2026, waited until the second round to unveil yet another outlandishly colourful top.
The c0-Brightest Woman Bowler for 2026, Janine Skurray, wore yet another dazzling top that was matched by her beaming smile.
With regular organiser Paul Teesdale marooned somewhere near Broken Hill, the announcements were handled by the debonair Bob Rutten and suave Bron Perry.
And adding further lustre to the occasion, Dean Buder, Deane Pye, Alex Smith, Alan Ludlow and Neville Riddle made cameo appearances in the crowd. Winter Bowls spectator numbers were approaching unprecedented levels.