'Family-friendly competition' lures lawn bowler back into pennant ranks

Now nine rounds in, the former Merrivale netballer-turned-City Memorial bowler has an ankle brace "to keep it together" as she nears a full recovery from the nasty injury.

"I survived all my netball with no injuries and then went out to the stadium and played pickleball one night," she said.

"It's been a hard slog coming back from an Achilles rupture.

"I'm only just back, I did it last November.

"It's good to be able to play a sport (again)."

It's been a decade since Sheehan, 41, played a pennant bowls season. After moving around the country in recent years, she said she had kept up with bowls socially.

"But I'm settled back down here now, so thought I'd have a crack at this," she said of the 2023-24 Western District Playing Area midweek season.

Her return sees her join forces with uncle Bryan for reigning division one premiers City Diamonds.

"He's the skip, so I thought it was a good opportunity to have a go," Sheehan, who plays lead, said.

"He's really calm, I don't stress out when I'm bowling with him.

"It's been really good fun. (And) it's a good team, they all make you feel really welcome."

Dad Brendan lines up for City's other division one side, City Sapphires.

"(It's) pretty heavy competition in the family," she said. "We'll see who won - there is a little leaderboard of players and teams so there is a big competition of whose winning."

One person Sheehan has convinced to have a bowl is partner Kaleb Comollatti - a professional bull rider.

"We're pretty opposite, he's a bull rider and I'm a lawn bowler," she said with a laugh. "He gets the adrenaline rush and then comes and has a bowl with me."

Sheehan said the strategic aspect of lawn bowls appealed to her.

"It's where you're going to place your bowls, what are you going to do, I like the mind game of it," she said.

"(And) I like that you can play lots of formats of it, you can play singles, pairs, mixed, fours, it keeps it interesting.

"You could play bowls every day of the week if you had the time."

Sheehan and City Diamonds celebrated an important round nine victory against Timboon Maroon, 71-56, on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, with Sheehan's rink the tightest battle, 21-17.

"They're second on the ladder and we're first so it was a crucial game to play in and get the win," she said.

"They're not an easy team to defeat.

"We were pretty even all the way and it was just the last couple of ends we got over the line."

In other division one results, Koroit Orange edged out Lawn Green 52-50 while City Sapphires triumphed over Warrnambool Gold by the same margin, 57-55.

Meanwhile, Port Fairy Gold celebrated its first win of the season with a 65-47 win against Terang Blue.