Bowls Australia

In 1844, English immigrant Frederick Lipscombe constructed a bowling green behind his Beach Tavern in Sandy Bay, Hobart. The first recorded match was held on 1 January 1845 between Lipscombe and T. Burgess. Greens were then laid at Parramatta, Sydney and Melbourne, the latter seeing the first club formed in 1865, by an expatriate Scot John Campbell. The first Australian Championships under the new body were held in 1912, and the first Australian representative side played in New Zealand in 1914. In 1928, the Australian Bowls Council became affiliated with the International Bowling Board, now known as World Bowls Inc. The first World Bowls Championship was played at Kyeemagh Bowls Club in New South Wales in 1966. == Structure ==

The national body has eight state member associations: • Bowls Australian Capital Territory • Bowls Queensland • Bowls NSW • Bowls Northern Territory • Bowls Western Australia • Bowls Victoria • Bowls South Australia • Bowls Tasmania The main competitions Bowls Australia organises are the annual Australian Open (AO), Bowls Premier League (BPL) and BPL Cup. They also stage a number of other important national competitions, as well as hosting international events in Australia, including the World Bowls Championships. == Bowls players ==