For the first time ever, NSW State Bowls Pennant Titles will come to the Tweed Valley after Destination Tweed worked with the Kingscliff Beach and Cudgen Bowls Clubs to secure the Grade Four State Pennant Finals.
“It is the first time that the titles have been further North than Ballina,” Ian Taylor of the Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club said.
“Last year was only our first year in the NSW Association, from Queensland.”
With four greens needed to host the event, Kingscliff, which has three greens, and Cudgen Leagues (two greens) joined forces to bid for the event. The two clubs will share the preliminaries, while Kingscliff will host the finals.
Mr Taylor said it was hoped that bowlers would be attracted to Kingscliff for the club’s annual prestigious pairs competition from July 28-31 and stay on for the Pennants.
Destination Tweed CEO Bill Tatchell said the three-day event would bring more than 200 competitors and their supporters to the Tweed region from August 3 to 5, representing a significant boost to the local economy.
“This is a prime opportunity for us to showcase the Tweed region to an important target market,” said Destination Tweed CEO, Bill Tatchell.
“The bowlers and their supporters represent a demographic that has the time and means to travel frequently, with a strong preference for domestic destinations.
“As such, the event has potential long-term benefits in encouraging return visitation for many years to come.”
The State Pennants competition is the pinnacle of inter-club competition in lawn bowls. Each year, more than 20,000 bowlers take to the greens to represent their clubs at the local level, with the winners in each of the 16 zones progressing to the State Finals.
“Bowls NSW would like to thank Destination Tweed for their support in bringing this event to the region,” said Bowls NSW Sports Coordinator, Andrew Lynn.
“The Kingscliff and Cudgen Leagues Bowling Clubs are two fantastic venues and we look forward to introducing our competitors to the whole area of the Tweed.”
The State Pennants Final is the second major sporting event Destination Tweed has secured for the region in recent months. It follows on from the announcement that Netball Queensland will hold the 2013 Challenge Carnival in the Tweed from June 22-24, attracting an estimated 2000 players, officials and spectators.
“In accordance with our Tourism Marketing Strategy, we are working to build the Tweed’s profile as a sporting destination for these sorts of events,” said Mr Tatchell.
“We already host a number of well-established annual sporting meets, including the Kingscliff Triathlon and the Battle on the Border, and there is a lot of potential to attract more.
“We have the facilities and the accommodation to cater for a number of these events throughout the year, bringing immediate and long-term economic benefits, without the major disruptions caused by large scale international competitions.”
