The Scarborough Bowls Club will soon host the Junior State Championships as a first for the location and a boon for school-age entrants and the community.
Supported by local government and the Bramble Bay and Brighton Bowls Clubs, the event will run from 12 April to 18 April, attracting over 100 players and representing a significant boost to businesses in the area.
According to bowls coach and member of the Bowls QLD Committee, Chris Scott, it was after reading a feedback survey from 2025 (when Gold Coast hosted the championships) that he “thought the region could do better in terms of cost and in moving them to Easter.”
With two boys aged thirteen currently training in preparation every Thursday at the club, Chris said the facility and nearby institutions were gearing up in excitement for the upcoming competition.
“When our juniors train, they are often watched closely by older members, and alongside that, the Southern Cross Catholic College has been instrumental,” Chris said.
The Future of the Green: Meet the Junior Entrants
Junior entrant Matt Wright, whose father is treasurer at Scarborough Bowls Club, said his dad had encouraged him greatly, both in terms of getting him involved in the sport and in keeping him motivated.
“One day Dad asked me if I’d like to try lawn bowls, and I said that I would give it a try, and it went on from there,” Matt said.
“I see myself doing it for a few more years – I like it, and if young people don’t get into it, it will just die as a sport.”
Fellow junior entrant Phoenix Dalziel said it was surprising how many young people were now involved in lawn bowls.
“The junior championships are full of young people, so when you look at a typical bowls club, you are not seeing the full picture,” he said.
Phoenix said that the sport brings people together, in that “getting to know people is easy.”
Games will be held for an entire week at Scarborough Bowls Club (some events at Bramble Bay and Brighton), with spectators welcome.
You can also catch the event live-streamed on social media and on YouTube via Bowls QLD.
2026 State Junior Lawn Bowls Championships
- Sunday, 12 April – Saturday, 18 April
- Scarborough Bowls Club
- Sunnyside Road, Scarborough
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