Southwest champion rolls her way to the state titles

Melissa Caletti will compete in the Queensland state titles after winning gruelling Zone 3 bowls tournament.

BOWLERS' DREAM: Roma's Melissa Caletti has bowled her way to the Champion of Club Champions state titles. Picture: Jorja McDonnell

LAWN BOWLS: Becoming the best singles bowler in southwest Queensland has been Melissa Caletti's sporting goal for almost a decade, and now that she has reached it, the Roma-based sportswoman is now aiming even higher.

On Monday, Caletti won the Zone 3 tournament in Warwick, and in doing so, earned a place at the Queensland Champion of Club Champions Titles.

"It started with winning the A-grade club champion, then the district championships and division playoffs before getting two wins at Zone 3,” Caletti said.

The whole experience has been surreal for Caletti, who is still coming to grips with the enormity of her achievement.

"It is still sinking in that I have actually done this; it is a bowlers' dream,” she said.

"Now that I've made it, I'll have to set a new goal.”

Melissa's games in Warwick were an incredible challenge, even for the experienced bowler.

"On Monday, my last game went for over two-and-a-half hours,” she said.

"You not only have the physical side of it, doing 400 lunges in a day, but it is mentally draining.

"When you play bowls you are constantly thinking where to place your bowl or how much grass to take, or taking the wind into account - at Warwick we had up to 40km/h wind gusts.

"Taking all of those things in to account to play the perfect ball is mentally exhausting.”

Melissa Caletti will play at the Champion of Club Champions state titles in Toowoomba from October 26-31.

The winners from the tournament will go on to represent Queensland at the 2020 Australian Championships.

"I find after I come away from a game of bowls I'm nearly as fatigued as I did running a half marathon,” Caletti said.