Champions collide at Coolum Beach’s national bowls event
The Australian Champion of Champions event is set to ignite at Coolum Beach tomorrow. Debbie Logan’s rivals at the Australian Champion of Champions will likely be wary of the Algester competitor when the prestigious three-day competition gets under way at Coolum Beach tomorrow, as Steele Taylor reports for the Sunshine Coast Daily.
But the 58-year-old says she’s just a club bowler who will relish the excitement of playing against the nation’s best.
Logan has claimed some big scalps in her relatively short 10-year stint in the sport, defeating the likes of Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jo Edwards (at the lucrative Australian Open in June) and Australian captain Lynsey Clarke (in the final of the Queensland Champion of Club Champions last year).
She’s also been runner-up in fours at the Australian Open and in pairs at the state championships.
But the modest Mt Gravatt roller refused to talk up her chances ahead of this week’s tournament, which boasts high-quality men’s and women’s fields.
“I am looking forward to it. I really just hope to give the girls a good game and see what happens from there,” she said.
“It’s just a thrill to be playing these girls like Therese Hastings (Western Australia), Rebecca Van Asch (Tasmania) and (Australian representative) Natasha Scott (New South Wales).
“I’m just a club bowler and I’m getting to play against the greats.
Logan, who helped her club claim its maiden women’s division one pennants title in the Gateway district, said she will “just play my bowls and anything can happen”.
“I’m just an average bowler who has had a lot of opportunities and I’m just loving it.”
She was at for the State District Sides Championships this year and won the second division flag.
“They (Coolum greens) are a little bit faster than what I have at home but they were very good greens to play on,” she said.
Logan had to win club singles, district singles and state singles in the Champion of Champions to earn her berth at this week’s event, where she will take on the best from other states and territories.
Queensland will be represented by Springwood’s Harold Whitman in the men’s draw.
“I think Harold is probably as nervous as I am,” Logan said.
Caption: Mt Gravatt’s Debbie Logan will represent Queensland in the Australian Champion of Champions at Coolum Beach this week, after beating Australian captain Lynsey Clarke in the Queensland final.
