Traditional rivals go to battle
Whether on the footy field, the cricket pitch, the basketball court or in nearly any other aspect of life you can think of, the Western Australia versus Victoria rivalry is fierce and hard fought. This weekend it is the Osborne Park Bowling Club that takes centre stage as both our Men’s and Women’s Open State Sides take on the best Victoria has to offer, in a preview of the Australian Sides Championships to be held right here in WA in October.
Three test matches will be held over the coming weekend (September 19 and 20) with the first happening on Saturday afternoon, before a full day of action on Sunday with the remaining two test matches to determine boasting rights…for a month at least.
Here’s all the information you need…
THE SCHEDULE
TEST MATCH ONE
Saturday 19th September
12.45pm start
TEST MATCH TWO (Live streamed on Bowls WA’s Youtube channel)
Sunday 20th September
9.00am start
TEST MATCH THREE (Live streamed on Bowls WA’s Youtube channel)
Sunday 20th September
1.00pm start
THE SATURDAY MATCH-UPS
With three rinks per side, each rink will play each other across the weekend, but here’s how the line-ups match-up for the Saturday afternoon’s test…
For the Men…
Daniel Trewhella returns to the Western Australian side following a rich run of form that sees him current holder of the WA State Singles, Pairs, Fours and Mixed Pairs titles – Trewhella will add 100 game State player to his list of achievements in a few weeks at the Sides Series. Scott Walker brings up his 50th game for WA on Saturday, while Callum Alberti makes his debut in what is sure to be a long career representing WA.
For Victoria, Matthew Flapper, one of the most respected players in the game, brings up his 450th appearance for the big V – a remarkable achievement. Koby Cromie makes his first appearance for Victoria, alongside Harry Coleman and Kevin Anderson who have both played just the three games each, albeit at different stages of their bowls journey.
And for the women…
Four debutants across the two sides, with three for WA, Claire Fleming, Jenni McLaughlin and Shae Richards who makes the switch across from the Northern Territory outfit last year. For Victoria, Addy Ryan makes her debut.
Two newer skippers do battle, in terms of the Sides we have been over previous years, with Deb Saunders taking the reins for WA, and Olivia Cartwright in charge of a rink for the Vics. Where WA has the home ground advantage, Victoria has the experience advantage, underlined by Brooke Edwards who will achieve 200 State games for Victoria on Sunday.
THE RECENT HISTORY (Last 3 matches)
Devonport Country Club, Tasmania, Friday November 21, 2025
Men: Victoria 58 Western Australia 46 (Mills 25 Williams 14, Pavey 15 Nairn 20, Lynch 18 McKay 12)
Women: Victoria 63 Western Australia 59 (Phillips 20 Butler 22, Millerick 18 Featherby 19, Atkinson 25 Krstic 18)
Club Tweed, Queensland, Saturday October 19, 2024
Men: Western Australia 63 Victoria 49 (Williams 21 Fisher 14, Nairn 30 A Flapper 11, East 12 Mills 24)
Women: Victoria 81 Western Australia 47 (Phillips 22 Krstic 13, Millerick 40 Packer 12, Atkinson 19 Featherby 22)
Sorrento, Western Australia, Sunday October 15, 2023
Men: Western Australia 63 Victoria 48 (Nairn 32 Fisher 6, Packer 13 M Flapper 24, Trewhella 18 A Flapper 18)
Women: Victoria 56 Western Australia 55 (Atkinson 21 Packer 15, Millerick 17 Featherby 20, Phillips 18 Krstic 20)
HOW TO WATCH
On Saturday you’ll need to get along to Osborne Park to catch it all, but on Sunday you can tune in on Bowls WA’s Youtube channel as we bring you live streamed action across both sessions. We will cover a men’s test and a women’s test throughout the day and keep you up-to-date with all the scores.
Live scoring for all matches, including Saturday’s match will be available on BowlsLink and will be made available directly from the Bowls WA website.
NOTE: Please be wary of any streams that may try to charge you to watch any of these matches. Bowls WA’s streaming is free of charge and provided only on Bowls WA’s official Youtube channel.
