For the 10th and final time a plethora of the world’s best bowlers will descend on venues across the Goulburn Valley for the much-anticipated Victoria Open.
Beginning on Friday a festival of bowls will sweep through the region for eight days, as competitors and supporters alike celebrate the return of the showcase event after a three-year COVID-19 hiatus.
Seven different tournaments will be run as part of the Victoria Open schedule, which includes singles (men’s and women’s), pairs (men’s, women’s and mixed) and triples (men’s and women’s) — with a record number of entrants set to battle it out for glory.
Having run the event since 2011, this year’s edition marks the first time Bowls Victoria has fielded more than 2000 entries, making it the biggest tournament in Victoria Open history.
As a result the action will be taken to a record 22 district bowls clubs in what Bowls Victoria events and competitions manager Jimmy Whitehead said was a perfect way to end the tournament’s affiliation with the Goulburn Valley before it moves to Gippsland in 2023.
“This is our biggest one yet — it is going to be a record event to close the chapter on our rich history in the Goulburn Valley,” Whitehead said.
“We’ve just got over 2200 entries total, which translates to around 3000 participants, and that means we are using more clubs than ever before as well.
“Clubs like Cobram, Echuca and Moama have to come on board which is very exciting and for us it is a great way to go out with a bang.”
An event that has been some three years in the making, preparations have been far from smooth with recent flooding resulting in a number of venue changes.
Clubs such as Seymour and Numurkah Golf have had to make way, giving Cobram and Avenel the opportunity to step in and host.
Whitehead described how Bowls Victoria went about navigating what was an ever-changing situation.
“There have been a few bumps in the road, obviously with what has happened up in the region recently,” he said.
“But the clubs have been fantastic and are all as prepared as they can be for it, while the council has been great too, we have all rode the bumps very smoothly.
“Things are a little different this year, with more of it being online than in the past, but everybody has been great in learning those systems.
“It has been quite a long process getting ready for this event, so we are just rapt to get it started and can’t wait to see all the smiling faces of bowlers from across the state.”
As for what punters can expect from the eight-day bowls showcase, Whitehead outlined some of the feature events to look forward to.
“We have the ‘GOAT’ of bowls playing his first Victoria Open in Alex Marshall, he is going to feature across a few clubs and I know those clubs are utilising that as a marketing opportunity,” he said.
“There is also a plethora of top Victorian players as well, there are players who just played in the recent BPL like Matt Flapper and Blake Nairn — we’ve got an amazing field and it should be hotly contested.”
Victoria Open action begins on Friday with the mixed pairs competition, while singles kicks off on Saturday, pairs on Sunday and triples on Monday.