Best season in 40 years takes Wasleys to bowls final just four months after its clubroom was raised in the Pinery fire

WASLEYS Bowling Club is playing for its first-ever country bowls championship just four months after its clubroom was reduced to ashes in the Pinery fire.

10/02/16 - Wasley Bowls Club members Geoffrey Dawe, Lorraine Dawe, Robert Bowman and Brad McDDougall are looking forward to returning to their first game since the club was ravaged by the Pinery fire. Photo Tom Huntley

WASLEYS Bowling Club is playing for its first-ever country bowls championship just four months after its clubroom was reduced to ashes in the Pinery fire.

Despite the devastation of the fire in November, Wasleys finished top after the minor season and today heads to nearby Balaklava Bowling Club hoping to crown one of its most successful seasons in its 40-year history.

Club secretary Brad McDougall said the final is a fitting end for a club that played an important role in the bringing together the community in the fire’s aftermath.

“This is the only sporting identity within the township,” he said.

“On the night of the fire, there were two meeting places — the bowling club and the local hotel.

“On the Saturday directly after the fire, pennant bowls was cancelled but we opened our green and let our members know that we would all be here.

“Some of our members have been directly affected by the fire and there was no better way to check how people are and see how they are coping than over a beer and a barbie and a roll on the green.”

Mr McDougall said the on-field success was a new experience for the club.

“It’s a bit different to previous years we’ve played,” he said. “It’s quite frightening actually, because now you’re expected to perform.”

Mr McDougall said neighbouring Hamley Bridge had generously allowed Wasleys to use their green as they rebuilt their home club.

More than 40 Wasleys members, some as young as 10, including several who had lost homes, gathered for a drink and games in front of the damaged clubrooms shortly after the fire.

Starting with the flags flying at half-mast, it soon became a celebration for the community.

Donations to the club totalled $30,000 to get the club up and running as quickly as possible.

Sports SA also delivered a van full of sporting equipment, including footballs and basketballs, to Wasleys Primary School, and construction items to the bowls club to kick start the recovery.

The bowls club at neighbouring Hamley Bridge also offered its facilities as a temporary home for the Wasleys bowlers.