Kellie bowls Sumner over for champion title

A NEW era is emerging in district bowls with Kellie Bowles being crowned Warrnambool and district's champions of champions.Bowles beat Warrnambool and District Ladies Bowls Association powerhouse Margaret Sumner, of Terang, yesterday.She beat the multi-association champion 25-20. But it wasn't easy.Bowles had to earn her victory.After shooting herself to a strong opening, leading 24-8 mid-match, Sumner staged a stunning comeback.The Commonwealth Games silver medallist maintained shot for the next seven ends in the first to 25 competition.WDLBA chairwoman Pat Boyd said it was a nail-biter."Margaret looked to have three or four shots in one end and then Kellie would come across and cut her back to just one," Boyd said."Kellie bowled really well."Sumner, 69, was gracious in defeat. She said Bowles, who is in the Victorian squad, was in her prime and a top representative for the association."Kellie is there now to carry the flag and she'll do a good job," Sumner said."I'm buggered. I think I'm getting too old for bowls. I still love it though."But I'm 70 next birthday and there comes a time when someone needs to take over the reins."Sumner said she was determined to make the match a contest. With Bowles a shot from victory, Sumner said her goal was to peg at least a 10 on the board."My aim was just to get to 10, I would be happy with that. "But then I started drawing well and kept on going."At least I made a game out of it and it wasn't over and done within five seconds."World-class bowler Joyce Lindores heaped praise on Bowles on the eve of the Australia Day pairs. She said the Warrnambool bowler was on the cusp of becoming a powerhouse in the sport."She's a very promising bowler," Lindores said."She's still very young and is just trying to put as much into her bowls as she can."Bowles has a strong pedigree in the sport, with her grandparents Joan and Doug Anderson both top Warrnambool bowlers.She heaped praise on her grandfather, who is also her coach, after clinching her maiden association championship."My grandparents were the ones who asked me to come along and have a bowl. They have both been fantastic," Bowles said."The game probably didn't go exactly to plan today. But when you play someone of Margaret's calibre things are never going to be simple. Her experience is world."I'm very pleased."