District bowlers to suit up for first edition of Parliament House tournament

Mar 6, 2024

Big stage: A new fixture on the bowls calendar arrives at Melbourne’s Parliament House later this month. Photo by FiledIMAGE

How often would bowlers from places like Seymour and Violet Town get to play on the greens of Melbourne’s Parliament House?

Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content

An interesting new opportunity awaits players from those towns and plenty more as the first Annabelle Cleeland Cup prepares to go ahead in the city on Monday, March 18.

The tournament takes its name after current state Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, who endorsed the plans to hold a one-day event on the Parliament House greens — the state’s oldest continuously used bowls facility.

Other towns set to send representatives to the newest facet of the region’s bowls calendar include Benalla, Murchison and Euroa.

In a statement Cleeland said she looked forward to bowlers from within her region taking this unique excursion.

“This tournament promises to be a fun opportunity for camaraderie and friendly competition, bringing together clubs from throughout the region,” Cleeland said.

“I look forward to sharing the joy of bowls and fostering connections within the bowls community.”

A tour of the Parliament facilities for the travelling players complements the single-day bowls session.

The event comes amid Cleeland“s public encouragement for clubs within her constituency to take advantage of the Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.

“Our local sports clubs are providing people with a strong sense of community, belonging and an active lifestyle, and deserve all the support they can get,” Cleeland said.

“The proposed infrastructure upgrades I have seen will benefit the community immensely, including upgrading facilities and improving accessibility for our female athletes.”