The Point win inaugural GOTCHA4LIFE Bowls Cup

It was Taren Point Bowling Club who took the honours of the first Gotcha4Life Bowls Cup with a 59-47 (10-0) win. The Point were too strong across all three rinks on the night and whilst it was a tight tussle throughout, it was Taren Point who adapted quickly to the changing green conditions. The Saints held early leads across two of the three rinks as well as the Master Board, however it was Taren Point who continued to grind and eventually took the spoils across all three rinks.

Ray Pearse defeated Ryan Bester 21-17; David Axon 18-14 over Ben Twist; Ali Forsyth defeated David Ferguson 20-16. It was Taren Point’s third win from as many fixtures and left St Johns Park with one win from their two matches.

In the Grade 2 Fixture also played on the night, Cabra-Vale Diggers defeated St Johns Park 71-59 (10-0). Scores were locked up 49-all on 43 ends, but the Diggers finished much stronger across all three rinks and were also crowned the Zone Champions on the night.

Most importantly, the night was about the charity Gotcha4Life and it was supported by all three clubs and theirs members. The cause is all too close to many people across the Bowls Community who have had the unfortunate experience of losing a loved one to suicide. The night was to bring awareness to our sport of building mental fitness, building a resilience and support across our bowls community, ensuring no person gets to such a low that suicide is their only option.

Ray Pearse, Taren Point Club Captain, accepted the Gotcha4Life Bowls Cup and shared his experiences around losing a loved one to suicide. He challenged the very attentive room to ensure they “actually listen” to their mates and to be “present in the conversations.” We know that being a listener for a friend or family member when they need it most, may be the beginning of a really important improvement.

Anthony Cottee, the Group Sports Administrator at St Johns Park Bowling Club, thanked the crowd for their participation on the night. He highlighted the success the night had already achieved for not only the funds raised but more importantly, for people having conversations about Suicide Prevention and really making a commitment to the cause.

Anthony also thanked the SJPBC Social Committee who cooked the BBQ on the night and sold Gotcha4Life Merchandise, raising over $500 alone with these activities. They also donated $1,000 towards the Charity; Taren Point Bowling Club contributed $1,000 from their membership and Green Fees over their weekend and Cabra-Vale Diggers also provided a $500 donation to help the cause. St Johns Park will be announcing a considerable partnership with Gotcha4Life in the coming weeks.

As we celebrated the Gotcha4Life Bowls Cup and the inaugural winners, there was certainly a deepening comradery between Taren Point and St Johns Park. We encourage all our St Johns Park members and those in the Bowls Community to bring Suicide Prevention to the table not just as a conversation, but to challenge yourselves in every aspect of being a mate for life. Zero Suicides – it’s that simple.

Thank you to all those who donated on the night and those who have contributed online.

Donations can still be made at: https://gotcha4life-fundraising.raisely.com/gotcha4lifecupstjohnsparkvstarenpoint

For more information: https://gotcha4life.org