Highton BPL Cup heroes welcomed back in style
The 2022 BPL Cup will forever hold a special place in Jeremy Fitzgerald‘s heart after he and his Highton Bowls Club teammates brought the trophy to Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula for the first time following their win over Armadale in the final at Club Pine Rivers.
Fitzgerald, who played as the second in a squad of Rob Chambers, Craig Polwarth and final MVP Dan Priddle, says that the title still has not yet sunk in and that it was one of the greatest weeks that he can remember.
“It all sort of hit straight away after the game, I didn’t really know what to do with myself and I think I was sitting on the ground in tears at one point but managed to straighten myself out before I was on camera,”Fitzgerald said on Bowls Australia’s (BA) ‘The Right Line’ podcast.
“I still can’t quite believe it, the whole week was just amazing.
“Flying up we didn’t set too many expectations for the week just given the nature of the format, like one bad end or one good bowl from the opposition and the game is ripped away from you before you know it.”
Over 800 teams commenced their campaign in the 2022 BPL Cup so to salute as the last one standing is no mean feat, and the reception on the return home was raucous.
“We went to Highton on the Friday night after Thursday’s final, that’s our raffle night and there’s a bistro night as well so there was a lot of the general public in there,” Fitzgerald said.
“We all got a big round of applause and had everyone come up shaking our hands and saying congratulations.
“The attention was a bit overwhelming for me, I was actually a bit sick from it at one point and it made me more nervous than playing the actual final which is weird.
“The support from the club was amazing and from the Geelong bowls region, we had messages from many people from other clubs.”
Fitzgerald’s bowls journey commenced when he was a child thanks to his older brother, who adores the sport and has began in his teenage years.
But with deteriorating health affecting Ashley’s ability to play, Highton still includes him in club activities, competitions and events as one of the lifeblood members of the establishment.
“I got into the sport thanks to my older brother Ashley, he has autism and muscle disability and he was always obsessed with bowls growing up, eventually being able to play,” he said.
“He won a bronze medal in the state disability side in 2006 in the mixed pairs I think, but unfortunately his muscle disability has gotten worse in recent years and he’s not able to play but he’s our team mascot and we get him out in the huddle for pennant.
“Mum rang me after our final and I could hear him shouting woohoo in the background, and while I was up there I brought a plain white bowls cap and I was going around getting the signatures of all of the BPL players.
“It was a surprise for him and he absolutely loved it.”
2023 BPL Cup expression of interest forms are available HERE
