Heverin leads free to air revival
Popular sports broadcaster Jack Heverin will anchor The Bowls Show on SBS and SBS on Demand A new era in the sport has emerged and the man who will anchor bowls’ resurgence back onto free-to-air TV is no stranger to our sport.
When you tune into ‘The Bowls Show’ on SBS or SBS on Demand, coming to your televisions on May 15, the new host may be familiar to those who witnessed the third instalment of the revolutionary Australian Premier League or tuned into Bowls Australia’s radio program ‘Without Bias’.
Jack Heverin has been an avid spectator of bowls since the tender age of six; however the sports broadcaster could never have imagined commentating a bowls show years after his pop introduced him to our sports infamous stars, Kelvin Kerkow, Steve Glasson and Rob Parrella by watching the popular Jack High series.
Without Bias was Heverin’s re-introduction to Lawn Bowls and the weekly show was a chance for the talented broadcaster to let his passion for bowls shine through and give his own modern take on a sport that was stereotypically an ‘old man’s game’.
Heverin says he is very proud of what was achieved during his time hosting national radio show Without Bias.
“For me there were a number of highlights including the great ratings, terrific feedback from viewers, a great response on social media but mostly the chance to uncover hidden superstars in the sport,” Heverin recalled.
“There were people we chatted to on the show who hadn’t previously received any accolades for their contribution to the sport; one of the best interviews was with a great man named Graeme Clements from the Blind Bowls Association who devoted so much time and had so much passion for bowls.
“It was also a lot of fun going down memory lane with the likes of Kelvin Kerkow and Steve Glasson.”
Heverin brought his own modern touch to the sport and it wasn’t long before Bowls Australia acquired his services for the ground breaking new event, the Australian Premier League at Club Pine Rivers.
Jack was a popular inclusion to the Fox Sports commentary team for APL03 having spent the first two instalments behind a different microphone as the rink-side announcer for the live matches.
Heverin speaks very highly of the APL, saying it is the best thing he has seen happen to the bowls in some time.
“I was aware of the potential of the APL and was so pleased to see it get off the ground,” said Heverin.
“If I hadn’t been given the opportunity to announce or commentate I would have been happy on the sideline peeling the oranges just to be part of the event; the APL is just what the sport needed to break down some stereotypical barriers.
“The APL has been an amazing experience in my career and the tournament will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Heverin’s career is moving in leaps and bounds having already notched up impressive appearances on his resume including commentating the Cricket World Cup Final at the MCG when Australia defeated New Zealand and also commentating on one of Australia’s biggest sporting events, AFL Grand Final day.
Heverin’s enthusiasm for promoting bowls, a sport that he grew up watching every Saturday at the Dandenong RSL where his pop played, is why his involvement in the SBS broadcast is to great delight of Bowls Australia.
Bowls is quickly becoming one of Australia’s fastest growing sports and with so many international events coming to Australian shores, events like the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, there will be plenty of opportunities gearing up to the major multi-sporting event for bowls and our athletes to shine, all of which can be captured on SBS or SBS Demand.
Bowls Australia will maintain its relationship with Fox Sports as the sport’s official Pay-TV partner, which will continue to televise more than 30 hours of live Australian Premier League and Australian Open coverage, in addition to other unannounced events.
If you missed the Australian Premier League or the live streaming of the 2015 Australian Indoor Championships of which Heverin anchored, your first opportunity to hear Jack Heverin behind the microphone will be Tuesday March 22 when the semi-finals of the World Cup at Warilla kick off.
To tune into the World Cup’s live streaming click here.
Caption- Jack Heverin (right) will anchor the Bowls Show when it commences on May 15 on SBS and SBS Demand.
