Mapleton Bowls Club rolls out junior team. And they only had to wait 75 years

From left, Lynden and Lynette Bateman who have been club members since 1977 with new juniors Dean Bateman, Ava Aitken, Hugh Fleming and Brayson Brereton and coaches Debbie Sawtell and assistant Mark Paine.

Mapleton Bowls Club has been welcoming members and their guests for 75 years.

But in that time they had never had a Junior Bowls Team.

That was until earlier this year.        

The club was recently welcomed a junior bowls team of four members from 11 to 14 years who had their first lesson in July. 

The players are Ava Aitken, Brayson Brereton, Hugh Fleming and newest member Dean Bateman.  Dean is the grandson of Lynden and Lynette Bateman who have been club members since 1977. They have both won multiple A grade Championships, so Dean is sure to be a natural. 

The juniors have been enjoying weekly training sessions and are developing their skills with the help of coach Debbie Sawtell and assistant Mark Paine. Mark is also the team’s sponsor. Their enthusiasm and dedication continues to grow, despite the challenges of the weather cancelling many of their training sessions. 

Later this month Brayson and Hugh will be representing Mapleton Bowls Club for the very first time in a local Junior Pairs Carnival. The under 18s competition will run for two days on December 11 and 12 at the Glasshouse Mountains Bowls Club.  

To commemorate this special occasion, they were recently presented with their Club uniforms and caps. 

If you’d like to see great junior bowls in action, come along to the carnival and support this great local event and our local juniors as well. 

The Juniors would like to thank Debbie, Mark and the bowls community for their help, support and encouragement. 

They train on Fridays from 4pm so if it sounds like something your son or daughter might be interested in, please bring them along to have a “roll up” with the team. 

• Mapleton Bowls Club is open for social bowls every Saturday and Tuesday afternoon and every second Friday for dinner. The club always welcomes new faces.