When Benalla’s Koby Cromie stepped onto the green for the Victorian under-18s lawn bowl championship in Sunbury he hoped he’d do well.
By the end of the day, he was the holder of three state titles.
Cromie, 16, first picked up a lawn bowl when he was seven, and he hasn’t looked back.
“I got involved through my grandparents,” Cromie said.
“Dad still plays, but my grandfather passed away a few years back.
“He loved playing. But more importantly he loved making sure we all had an opportunity to play.”
When Cromie heads to a tournament, he has the support of his family, and always keeps his grandfather’s words of advice in his head.
“He gave me so much support when I was younger,” he said.
“It was nice to get the results I wanted to honour him, and the rest of my family.”
Even with all that support, it took a real effort to win three state titles.
“I had to play all the finals in the one day, so that was a lot of pressure,” he said.
“Going into the day you know you’ve got a few games to play, so I had to try and stay calm, and relaxed to help me go out there and play my best.”
It was hard work and preparation that helped him achieve that.
“I was practising at least twice a day, every day to prepare myself for the long days and that mental side of competition.
“It can get tougher throughout the day after you’ve played a couple of tough ones.
“So that’s why I wanted to train a lot, and I kept that momentum going into the event.“
Cromie said lawn bows is a great sport for young people to get into.
“You meet a lot of new friends and continue the friendships you’ve made throughout the Juniors,” he said.
“I’ve made friends with people from all over Australia.”