Fourteen-year-old Charlie Boswood returned triumphantly to his home club on Saturday to skip for the first time in the Goulburn Valley Playing Area division one weekend pennant competition.
It was like the cavalry riding into a western movie when Kyabram Bowling Club’s Boswood family returned to Goulburn Valley Playing Area division one pennant competition on Saturday for the first time this season.
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Kyabram faced third-ranked Shepparton Park on the weekend in a vital clash and with the contributions of Darren, Henry and Charlie Boswood the team is now back in the top four of the elite regional competition.
Charlie had played one game for the club earlier in the year, but it was the first appearance in red and black for 16-year-old Henry and father Darren.
The three-shot win came as a result of Charlie Boswood combining with veteran Greg Shilling to give the Kyabam team two winning rinks. The Bombers won the game 82-79 (14-4).
Charlie, just 14-years-old, had played with his brother and father in the Friday night fixture of the Metro Pennant Weekend Premier Reserve competition with Port Melbourne.
He, elder brother Henry, and Darren are all playing with the club in the eight-team competition that includes Dandenong, Flemington-Kensington, Whittlesea, Lilydale and top team MCC.
Port Melbourne sits second on the ladder after 10 rounds, with a 6-4 record, Henry Boswood the competition’s fifth-seeded player with an 8-3 win/loss record.
Henry Boswood played his first game of the season for Kyabram on Saturday, having spent the entire season with Port Melbourme in the metro competition for 2024-25.
Darren Boswood has a 6-3 record (seeded 18th) and Charlie is ranked 66th with a 5-5 record.
It was Charlie, however, who stole the limelight in the Kyabram and Shepparton Park fixture on Saturday in Union St.
It stretched the Kyabram winning streak to three (following wins against Mooroopna and Euroa) after it had lost to Shepparton Park by nine shots back in round three. That triggered a four game losing streak for the team.
Charlie Boswood skipped the rink of Chris Williams, Ken Risstrom and Chris Preddy, winning 22-12 against the competition’s second-ranked skipper - Paul Nichols.
Before Saturday Nichols had lost just one of his eight games for 2024-25.
Darren Boswood bowled second for Rob George, but could not repeat the result of his son - losing 11-29. Henry played lead to Mal Williams, but was on the end of a one-shot defeat.
In another quirk of the two days of lawn bowls for the Boswoods, Friday night’s fixture against Whittlesea involved them playing against another Kyabram bowls family - the Cartwrights.
Josh Cartwright bowled directly opposite to Charlie, as third for his rink - Cartwright taking the points. David Cartwright faced off against Darren on another rink, but it was a Boswood victory on this occasion.
Port Melbourne won the game 89-68 against bottom team Whittlesea.
The following day the Cartwrights were back playing in the Murray Playing Area with Wunghnu. They were winners on this occasion, David skipping and youngest son Jacob as his third.
Josh skipped his rink to a win, but has a 4-5 win/loss record in that role. Father David is the fourth-ranked skip of the competition with a 7-3 record as Wunghnu sits third on the ladder.
– Henry Boswood’s big weekend stretched into a third day when he contested the Kyabram Bowling Club men’s singles championship.
He lost to Greg Shilling, who in winning his 14th club title equalled the record of lawn bowls legend Des Nuttal.
Mary Greco won the women’s singles championship. Greco and Maree Boswell also recently won the club pairs after Rob George and Paul McInnes had won the men’s event.
