At just 12 years of age, you would be hard-pressed to find a younger A-grade bowls club championship contender than Echuca’s Jacob Brighton.
But it’s hardly a surprising development for those around the up-and-coming young bowls prodigy, as he continues his championship run at East Shepparton Bowls Club.
Brighton, already a state representative bowler and a grand finalist at the under-18 Victorian state final titles last year, will face clubman Gino Cervi in the A-grade championship after defeating John Gribble in the semi-final 25-18.
He will be the youngest bowler to contest the final in the club’s history, and he is still in the mix for B-grade honours to boot, with a semi-final to come in that division.
Brighton’s division one weekend pennant skipper — and grandfather — Geoff Beattie says the nucleus of the talented young bowler’s skill-set stemmed from a desire to learn as much as possible about the game.
“For starters, he listens,” Beattie said.
“He’s like a sponge, he just soaks everything up.
“I’ve been trying to teach him not only the game of bowls but also the etiquette of the game and the subtleties of it.
“We’ve now got him playing pennant, and the Goulburn Valley pennant is, I would rate it, the best standard outside of Melbourne.
“He holds himself in that competition no problems at all, and he competes on an equal level.”
Both generations have shared the green in pennant competition for two summers now, and Beattie said playing alongside his grandson kept him on his toes.
“It’s good fun. He probably keeps me a bit younger and on my toes,” Beattie said.
“Before he could walk, he was pushing bowls around the floor of our old retail business.
“He just wants to know everything that’s going on.
“There’s not too many sports where you can go and play with your grandson.”
Brighton made waves as an 11-year-old last April when he was runner-up at the under-18 Victorian state titles in a sizzling run.
And he is not done yet as he continues his development in the game.
“He’ll have another crack at that when the time comes,” Beattie said.
“He’s been going to a few junior tournaments which double as state trials, and been in one of the development squads.”
The date for the final between Brighton and Cervi is yet to be confirmed.
For more on the stunning rise of young Brighton, tune in to the latest episode of After The Jack.