Three Dungog High School students and their coach are off to state for lawn bowls after beating the fancied Hunter Sports High School by six shots.
Dungog High School teacher and coach Tony Skimmings with lawn bowlers Jayden Robinson, Jared Ford and Jake Ballard after their win against Hunter Sports High recently.
Jayden Robinson, Jared Ford and Jake Ballard were the winners of the Newcastle-Hunter Region final of the lawn bowls competition after it came down to the last shot.
Skip Jared Ford said it was 16-all on the last end with Hunter Sports High to have the last bowl.
“He drove it, it knocked the bowl out and we picked up six,” he said.
“We were stoked as they had selection trials with 30 students to pick from while there was just us three.
“We don’t practice together but work well as a team.”
The score says it all – it went down to the wire
This is the second time in three years Dungog High will be represented at the state school competition.
In 2011 the school got to the quarter finals in the knockout and the following year came sixth.
While Jared and Jake have been playing bowls for nearly five years, Jayden is a newcomer to the sport.
“Our first game was against Callaghan College last month and I had only been playing for just over three months prior to that,” Jayden said.
“I went down to the Dungog club with my father but really thought it was an old person’s game.
“But I really got into it and enjoy it so much.”
Coach Tony Skimmings said the boys have played four schools to make their way through to be the 12th best team in the state.
“They started off against Francis Greenway, then Maitland Grossman and beat Callaghan College at Dungog Bowling Club last month,” he said.
“The game against Hunter Sports High was a very exciting game played at Beresfield Bowling Club.
“They boys play really well as a team.
“Jayden is going extremely well and he is playing with 45-year-old bowls.
“Considering we are only a small school with a very limited number of lawn bowlers, we are doing very well.”
The state competition will be held at Kemps Creek near Liverpool on June 11 and 12.
The boys are looking for financial sponsorship to help them get to and stay in Sydney for the competition.
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