Queens of the Green Bowls Tournament winners Val Toohey, Ellen Williamson, Jo Pettit and Donna Carter.
The greens at Club Tocumwal came alive last week with the inaugural Masters of the Murray, a men’s bowls event that drew in strong competition and community spirit.
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Held last Tuesday and Wednesday, the tournament welcomed 30 teams and a total of 120 players from across Victoria and southern NSW.
Despite a disruptive first day of play due to challenging weather conditions, all scheduled matches were successfully completed on the second day as skies cleared.
The event culminated in a thrilling finish, with the top two teams each finishing undefeated across all six games.
Ultimately, the combined team from Shepparton Golf and Bowls and Bundoora Bowls Clubs claimed the title on superior shot differential.
Team members were Mal Williams, Peter Lesueur, Ben Winther and Brent Reiner.
They edged out the strong Club Tocumwal team of Pip Baker, Rod Brown, Stephen Guille and Steven Lane, who took second place with an equally impressive performance.
Clubs from far and wide were represented, with teams travelling from Howlong, Barooga, Parkdale, Cobram, Swan Hill Racecourse, Echuca, Mansfield, Katandra West, Webbcona, Mornington Civic, Hill Top Tatura, Berrigan, Sunshine, Melbourne Bowls, Benalla Moira, Shepparton Golf, Moorabbin, Cohuna, Bendigo and beyond.
The Masters of the Murray has firmly established itself as a must-attend event on the regional bowls calendar, promising even greater competition in the years to come.
A week earlier, Club Tocumwal hosted the fourth annual Queens of the Green bowls tournament.
Held September 9 and 10, it attracted 32 teams (128 bowlers).
The Tuesday was a great day weather-wise, but the weather turned against us on Wednesday.
Although we were rained out on Wednesday afternoon, we were able to complete five of the six scheduled games.
The winners were a combined team of Ellen Williamson and Donna Carter from Club Tocumwal and Jo Pettit and Val Toohey from Barooga Sports.
They were the only team to win all of their games.
Teams/players came from both regional and metropolitan areas - Inglewood, North Bendigo, Deniliquin, Golden Square, Torquay, Portarlington, Seymour, Cobram, Hampton, Benalla, Moorabbin, Lavington, North Albury, Lavington, Yarrawonga-Mulwala, Hastings, Corowa, Howlong, Mooroopna, St Leonards, Dingee, Barooga and, of course, Club Tocumwal.
Some teams have already booked their places for the 2026 Queens of the Green.
The club thanked all those who attended the working bee to prepare the greens and set up facilities before the Queens of the Green tournament, and the staff who worked extremely hard during both tournaments.
Everyone appreciated the work that had gone into the presentation of the food and tables, specifically the crown centrepieces.
Neither event could run so seamlessly without the combined efforts of Bob Bowman, Judy Harvie, and Cheryl Mears, and the match committee.
They have spent many hours and had many meetings to prepare this well-run event.
As with the Queens of the Green, the success of Masters of the Murray would not have been possible without the dedication of the Club Tocumwal team behind the scenes.
Winners of the 2025 Masters of the Murray (from left) Brent Reiner, Mal Williams, Peter Lesueur and Ben Winther.
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