Daughter bowls over mother in classic showdown

SUSAN Allen had mixed emotions after winning the club championship this week at Forestville RSL.

Forestville RSL bowling green where mother and daughter pairing finish first and second in club championship. Susan Allen and her mum June Wood at the green. Photo by Annika Enderborg

SUSAN Allen had mixed emotions after winning the club championship this week at Forestville RSL.

The mother of six was chuffed with the end result but said she felt a little bad for her opponent in the decider.

Which is fair enough given it was her mother, June Wood.

“It was a strange situation – we both had to treat the final as just another game,’’ Allen said.

“The crowd were definitely on her side; mum has been bowling for a decade.

“There was no negative tactics or trash talking, it was all about total concentration.”

Allen began her foray into the sport by chance almost three years ago.

“Forestville RSL were putting on Barefoot Bowls on a Sunday afternoon, so I went up there with the kids for something different,’’ she said.

“It was all very social at first, a glass of champagne and a bowl sounded good to me.

“Eventually I got a bit more serious, and now I am up on the green whenever I have time.”

Wood conceded her daughter deserved to win.

“Susan played beautifully from start to finish,’’ she said.

“From a family perspective, it was a dream scenario. In the end I was happy with second, maybe next year I can go one better.”