Ipswich Gateball Challenge

The atrocious weather came through early on the Saturday morning of the Ipswich Gateball Challenge. Huge rainfall totals were forecast and even these were underestimated. Before 6 o’clock in the morning phone calls were made to advise participants to wait until lunch time before arriving at the club. So the intrepid organisers at Ipswich ventured to the North Ipswich Bowls Club which is their home base. It soon became obvious that there was no hope of any games being played that day. The competition was re-organised for playing just on Sunday The bowling lawn resembled a swimming pool as shown in the photo.

Paul Reynolds stands beside the the bowling green at North Ipswich Bowls Club. Swimming not Gateball is the only thing on offer.

Sunday morning brought a very cool wind but the skies were clear until about lunch time. Once again, rain threatened but the organisers managed to ensure everything was completed in the one day. Using three courts and stretching the umpire allocations quite thinly, all of the 30 minute games went ahead. It was a terrific effort by the club members to provide excellent food, sort out all of the hassles and then play so well.

The Ipswich team enjoyed the conditions of the home ground and won all six of their matches to win the Gateball Challenge for 2016. It was a well deserved win considering all of the work and stress that came from organising the two-days competition that became one day tournament. Congratulations! Second place was Eildon and third was Southport. The photos below show the award presentation made by the local Councillor – Cr. Cheryl Bromage. The team captain, Geoff Perceval, was hampered to a certain extent by the two black eyes he obtained after a fall onto the pavement earlier in the week. But, he lost none of his tactical ‘nous’ for the event. The players from Rockhampton and Gracemere were glad that their trip was not in vain and that they could play all of their games of Gateball in dry conditions.