90-year-old lawn bowler Dennis Hill to play in first Western District Bowls Division final

Dennis Hill will play for Lawn Tennis White in a Western District Bowls Division grade five elimination final on Saturday.

The Warrnambool resident, who arrived from England via boat as a young adult and still carries his Yorkshire accent, said he'd played for 21 years before earning a chance in the finals.

"I am looking forward to it," Hill told The Standard.

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"That's the only thing I do, take it in my stride. We'll be trying our best. We can't do any more than that."

Hill, who had open heart surgery five years ago, had planned to make this his pennant swansong.

But the friendly joker is now reconsidering.

"I reckon I was going to play social bowls next year and give pennant away but I will just have to see how I am going," he said.

"If I feel up to it (playing pennant again) I will."

Hill moved to Warrnambool from Melbourne 21 years ago with wife Barbara.

He was a relative latecomer to bowls, trying the sport in his late 60s. "Better late than never," he quipped.

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Hill started at the now defunct St John's Bowling Club before moving, like many other members, to Lawn Tennis in 2012-13 when their former club shut its doors.

"A neighbour across the street got Dennis to go to bowls to see if he would enjoy it," Barbara said of her husband's introduction to the sport.

Hill, who uses bowls sent from England from his late brother Trevor, plays social bowls at Lawn Tennis twice a week and pennant on Saturdays.

"I get on really well with everybody more or less so I enjoy it," he said.

"It is a great club. Everybody is really friendly."

Lawn Tennis - one of the competition's smaller clubs - had six of its 10 pennant teams make midweek and weekend pennant finals.

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