When it comes to Goulburn Valley bowls feats, you won’t see many more impressive than what Shepparton Golf’s Paul Ledger achieved recently.
Competing in Golf’s A and B-grade singles championships events, Ledger took both crowns, becoming the first player at the club to claim the duo of titles in the same year.
Only taking up competitive bowls during the past five years, Ledger shocked the Golf fraternity with his performances, as he continues to grow his game and aims to be a regular fixture in the division one side.
Joining the crew on After The Jack recently, Ledger said he was pleasantly shocked with how he performed.
“I was very surprised, I had been bowling quite well, so just got on a bit of a roll and it all fell into place at the time,” Ledger said on After The Jack.
Coming up against some of the best bowlers the region has to offer, it was a hectic fortnight for Ledger as he worked his way through the draw in both competitions.
He outlined how he attacked the crazy schedule of games and some of the challenges he faced to ultimately come away with the double crown.
“In the first round I had John Tucker which was a tough game, in the second I faced John Dagger and I got through that one, we then came back the second weekend and had Glenn Power in the next round, who’s a good draw bowler, and then Brad Orr after that,” he said.
“I had to play (the game against Brad) midweek because state events and things were on, so started the day in 40-degree heat over at Rushworth on a slow green and then came back and played Brad on a quick green at Golf.
“It was a very high standard game and it was a great result for me, after I got through that one and into the final I realised I got through to the final in the B grade as well and that was on a Tuesday night, so then I had to play the following night against Rob McKay, won that game and then the next Friday I played Graeme Waddell in the final and won that as well.
“I played nearly four nights of the week to get through all the matches, it was definitely a big week for me.”
Mastering the tactics of singles bowls is an art in itself, with Ledger saying he utilised some of the skills from his decorated tennis career to try and outfox his opposition.
“It is all about having a routine, getting on the mat and just focusing, same with tennis, your backhand is the same and your forehand is the same, so it is all about just finding a nice routine and sticking to it,” he said.
“Especially in the club championships games you have four bowls, so you might have a couple on and realise they’ve got a few at the back, so you’ve just got to cover your back and cover their bowls.”
What made the feat more special was the fact that Ledger used a bowling arm through his two championship runs, a style he did not grow up with while learning the game.
“Probably for the first two years I bowled free hand, but then had a bit of an accident where I just bent down one day and felt a crack in my back and dislocated discs and slipped discs, so I can’t bend down to bowl,” he said.
“So I just got an arm, went out and practised and picked it up pretty quickly, people gave me a few tips on stances and things and I just continued to improve.”