Chew claims first major singles title after epic finals

THE RAILWAY EXPRESS On the greens and around the club It’s been another fantastic week around the Railway, with plenty happening both on and off the greens. There was a great atmosphere around the club throughout the week, with plenty of competitive bowls, good company, and plenty of support from members and visitors alike. A big thank you to everyone who continues to get involved and help make the Railway such a great place to be, both on and off the greens. The excitement is building as we get closer to our Champagne Triples this weekend. With a massive $23,000 prize pool and some of the best bowlers from around Australia heading to the Railway, it's shaping up to be a fantastic weekend of bowls. We'll have men's, women's, mixed and all-abilities teams taking to the greens, with live coverage on YouTube so supporters can follow the action wherever they are. A huge thank you to everyone who has helped get this event off the ground, including our sponsors, volunteers and everyone working behind the scenes. Events like this don't happen without a great team of people putting in the effort. We're looking forward to welcoming 150 players and supporters to the Railway for a massive weekend! Social bowls Wednesday 21-10-26 On Wednesday afternoon, we had 22 social bowlers take the green on an enjoyable afternoon with plenty of competitive action and good company throughout the day. Winners: Luke Ramsay and Gene Rapp with 20+22. Runners-up: Kevi Hynds and Dave Johnson with 16+7. Wednesday bowls jackpot: Marble 3 was drawn and we had no winner. Saturday 24-10-26 On Saturday afternoon, we had 16 social bowlers in our Saturday mini tournament and the 2026 Open Major Singles final take the green enjoying an afternoon of competitive bowls, great company and plenty of laughs along the way. Winners: Remee Strudwick and Junior Thorne with 2 wins +9. Runners-up: Tony Latter and Al Curteis with 2 wins +6. We are now open from 11.30am on our social bowls days, Wednesday and Saturday. Names in by 12.30pm for a 1pm start, and everyone is welcome. Whether you're completely new to bowls, haven't played for years or are simply looking for something new to try, come down and give it a go. The Railway is a friendly place to meet people, have a roll-up and enjoy a bit of camaraderie along the way. We also have loan bowls available. No experience needed, just come along and have a bowl. Don't forget our fantastic Friday night meat tray raffles, Joker draw and members badge draw, along with our awesome bistro serving home-cooked meals from 6pm every Friday night. We also have some great sponsorship opportunities available around the club, with scoreboard sponsorship and drink holder sponsorship now available. It’s a great way for local businesses to get their name in front of our members, visitors and bowlers throughout the season while supporting the Railway. If your business would like to get involved, get in touch with us for more information. Championship track What a few weeks of championship bowls at the Railway and what a finish to our 2026 Open Major Singles, with two cracking semi-finals followed by a fantastic final to decide our club champion! First up, Ben McNaughton took on Steve Clegg in an absolute marathon. The match went for a massive 34 ends and over four hours, with Ben eventually coming away with a 25–21 win. A huge effort from both players to battle it out for that long! The second semi-final between Blake Strudwick and John Chew was an absolute cracker. Chewy got off to a flying start, building a 21–10 lead, but Blake wasn’t going to make it easy for him. S howing plenty of fight, Blake battled his way back into the contest 21-23 with Chewy holding on to take the win 25–21. A fantastic game of bowls that had plenty of twists and turns. That set up the final between Ben McNaughton and John Chew, and what a game it was. With both players playing some fantastic bowls and Chewy continued his red-hot form, producing consistent bowls throughout the match to take out the win 25-12and claim his first Major Singles title, becoming our 2026 Open Major Singles Club Champion! Congratulations to John “Shoey” Chew on a fantastic achievement and well done to Ben McNaughton on a great run to the final. Congratulations also to Steve Clegg and Blake Strudwick on reaching the semi-finals. A brilliant finish to this year’s Open Major Singles, with some outstanding bowls played along the way. Well played to all the players, and a big thank you to our markers for helping keep the Championship rolling! Next stop Champagne Triples – 31 October / 1 November. Until the next stop... Bowl well and see you at the Railway!