During the past two weeks the best bowlers Australia has to offer descended on the region for what was a fitting swansong to the Victorian Open’s time in the Goulburn Valley.
A record number of entrants resulted in more than 2000 players embarking on the two-week journey, with the competition as fierce as ever across all seven disciplines.
But there was one woman who rose above the rest and, to all those involved with Seymour bowls, she is a household name.
Alison Hall, who now plies her trade for esteemed bowls establishment Melbourne Cricket Club, was crowned the Victoria Medal winner as the best player of the 2022 open.
The former president and long-time board member of Seymour Bowls Club pipped Tallygaroopna’s Mark Ryan for the award after claiming victory in the women’s pairs and women’s triples competitions.
She also made it through to the round of 16 in the women’s singles to cap what was a magical week of bowls.
Speaking after her triumphant victory, Hall said it was a shock to take home the Victorian Open’s most prestigious award.
“I was over the moon really, because to win it you have to play an awful lot of games,” Hall said.
“You have to win through your sectionals and then work through the knockout rounds in a number of events to score well.
“I am absolutely elated. It’s not something you expect to do coming into the week, so to come away with it, I am shocked and very proud.”
Competing — and thriving — in a number of different competitions, Hall outlined how much of a grind the entire tournament was.
“There were some days I was out there from 8.30 in the morning until 8.30 at night or later playing bowls,” she said.
“The weather conditions through the sectionals were horrific. We had rain, hail and high winds for at least two of the days.
“So it was certainly a big effort and by the end of it I was definitely both very pleased and very exhausted.”
Hall’s pair of Victorian Open titles came in relatively similar fashion.
In the pairs, she teamed up with MCC clubmate Denise Huender and after battling through some tough sectional matches the duo found its groove in the finals series.
Facing Essendon duo Cheryl and Alana Flapper in the decider, the experience of Hall and Huender rose to the fore, as they played near-perfect bowls to come away 17-10 victors.
In the triples she teamed up with Broadbeach’s Leeane Poulson and MCC’s Samantha Robinson to blitz through the field.
Their dominance was best displayed in the final, as they destroyed Helen Branche, Jodie Fruend and Rhonda Armstrong in what was a clinical display of team bowls.
Looking back over her performances, Hall detailed the secret behind her successes.
“The triples was the first one we won and to get to the final we played some state representative players, so it was a tough battle the whole way through,” she said.
“But once we got going, we were just very hard to stop. As a team we were very well co-ordinated and went in with a game plan every time and that seemed to pay off in the end.
“And it was similar in the pairs as well — we had a game plan, we knew our roles and we managed to perform on the big stage.”
So how does this achievement rank among her long list of incredible accolades?
Hall said it was right up there with her state championship titles and times representing Victoria.
“I know a lot of people up in the Goulburn Valley and I know how hard they work to make it a success, so to win the medal in the final Victorian Open in the region, it is very special,” she said.
“This accolade is right up there in terms of my career. I have been pretty lucky to do some great things and this is another nice chapter to my story.”