Meet the Mandurah APL Teams: Albany
Played Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September 2016 Last season the Albany Bowling Club took home the 2015-2016 Bowls WA Country Club of the Year Award and now they have put their hand up to compete in their first Mandurah APL Cup.
The City of Albany is the oldest permanently settled town in Western Australia, predating Perth and Fremantle by over two years. Founded on the 26th December 1826 as a military outpost of New South Wales to stop the French laying claim to the region, it wasn’t until 1831 the originally named Frederick Town was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony and renamed Albany by Lieutenant-Governor James Stirling.
For over 60 years Albany had the only deep water port in the colony meaning it had a place of eminence on shipping services between Britain and its Australian Colonies. However its importance as a port began to decline after the opening of the Fremantle Inner Harbour in 1897 and the town’s industries turned primarily to agriculture, timber and later, whaling.
It was at this time the Albany Bowling Club formed before a general meeting in the Freemasons Hotel on 14th July 1899 where the Albany Bowling Club was officially constituted with a foundation membership of forty players. The inaugural committee consisted of President S.J. Haynes MLC; Vice Presidents Mayor C. McKenzie and J McKenzie and Secretary/Treasurer P.H. Meeks. For all their enthusiasm unfortunately due to a lack of knowledge the initial Albany Bowling Green was an extremely rough surface and was up to 3.5 inches out of level.
Forward 117 years and after moving to their current premises in 1961 the Albany Bowling Club, a member of the Lower Great Southern Bowling League, has grown up into a fully licensed premises which is open 7 days a week for it’s members and is also available to be hired for Functions, Seminars, Conferences and Training Courses by Individuals, Businesses and Community organisations. With three synthetic greens, the club hosts corporate bowls for 10 weeks with 38 teams, weekly open coaching clinics and hosts school groups amongst other activities.
For the 2016 Mandurah APL Cup, Albany are sending some of their finest with Alan Devine, Mavis Devine, Geoff Bain and Isabelle Mason making the journey to take the cup home.
Alan Devine began playing in 1995 and has been able to put together a strong resume of titles won throughout his 21 years of playing. Starting with a Club Fours Championship in 1998, Alan has won 5 club fours, 3 club triples and 5 club pairs championships. On top of that throw in 2 league fours, 1 league triples, 3 league pairs titles and a Bowler of the Year in 2002 and it is expected Alan will do very well at Mandurah.
Mavis Devine will also come into the Mandurah APL Cup full of confidence and a bag full of Club Championships. Four club singles with the first in 2000, 3 club pairs, 1 club triples and 1 club fours is a solid total by anyone’s standards but it seems Mavis might be still getting better. In 2015 Mavis won her first League Singles and topped it off with a bowler of the year award.
Geoff Bain, like his club mate Alan, has been cleaning up Albany Club Championships in the past couple of years. Geoff followed up his Club Championship Singles win and Bowler of the Year Award in the 2014-2015 season by doing it again in the 2015-2016 season to stamp himself as one of the best players at the Albany Bowling Club. A number of other Club Championships including 100up singles, club pairs and club fours over the years sees Geoff ready to strut his stuff in Mandurah.
Isabelle Mason rounds out the quartet from the Albany Bowling Club with her list of club achievements as long if not longer than her teammates. The current Club Singles Champion also has two other singles championships to her name along with 3 club pairs, 4 club triples and an amazing 7 club fours championships. With a record like that Isabelle is sure to cause a stir at the Mandurah APL Cup when they come out to play on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September 2016.
