Callum’s View on bowls

by Clive Adams on April 19, 2024

One of young stars of the sport, 15 year old Callum Alberti, has spent the week doing work experience in the Bowls WA office. Callum has had the opportunity to work directly in Bowls Link for event draws, post items on social media, design web site posts and has seen exactly what goes in to the Governance of the sport. We took the chance to catch up with Callum and get his take on everything bowls…

What do you love about the sport?

What I love about the sport of lawn bowls is the competition and the competitiveness that the game has, the tactics people use and the fact that anyone can beat anyone on their day making bowls a sport for anybody.

Who do you admire in Bowls?

In bowls I admire the top players of the sport that play for Australia and hopefully one day being like them and getting to represent my country would be pretty cool. The people I admire the most in the sport would have to be Aron Sheriff, Ben Twist, Aaron Teys and Corey Wedlock. I admire these players because they are some of the best players in the world and they are so exciting to watch.

My best experiences in bowls so far and why?

The best experiences I have had in my career so far would include, the 2023 Junior Nationals – this was a great opportunity to represent my state in front of friends and family that would normally not get to see me play those games against the best in Australia.

The Nationals experience also gave me a great indication of how far and how hard I had to work to get a silver medal. Another great experience I have had is the 2023 Australian Open. This really helped me learn how to travel and play in a different state which could be a good experience for the future.

Lastly, a good experience I had was the 2022 State Pairs. This really taught me the importance of consistency over consecutive days play and how to handle the pressure and preparation of a state final which for me was a great achievement as well as a great learning experience.

Best advice you have to someone starting Bowls?

The best advice I can give to someone starting would be to have fun and enjoy yourself.

What does the future of bowls look like?

I think the future of bowls could change in a good way over the next several years. Lawn Bowls could turn into quicker games, with sets play rather than a long game of 21 ends. Also, big tournaments for big money could become more popular which will appeal more to a younger generation joining the sport. This could help the future of bowls with a younger generation being interested by this kind of format, hopefully meaning a good future in bowls.

What examples have you seen in your travels that could work in WA?

A competition that has recently grabbed my attention is the NSW platinum pennant competition. Aimed at the elite players in the sport, the league sees 12 clubs across NSW battle it out over 5 weeks with 3 rinks per team.

Having a showcase of talent every week, available at local club level, would provide fantastic opportunities for players, as well as people watching in person and online via livestreaming services.

I will be watching with interest to see how the NSW competition evolves with a view to how something similar could work in WA.

What events have been your favourite so far to