Sport
19 November, 2024
Pirates miss out on BPL finals
The Tweed Head Ospreys have won the Bowls Premier League (BPL) 20 on November 15, after a competitive five day campaign.
This year’s BPL 20 was held at Club Pine Rivers in Bray Park, with the home team, the Moreton Bay Pirates, participating in the tournament.
Star bowlers Alex Marshall, Ryan Burnett, and Katherine Rednall represented the Pirates, with coach Ellen Falkner leading the team.
The Pirates placed seventh out of 12 teams, narrowly missing the finals by one winning match.
Ryan Burnett, the Club Pine Rivers bowls manager and Pirates bowler, said the team was disappointed with the result, particularly after finishing as runners-up in Moama last year.
“It’s frustrating to not make it into finals this time around here at our home ground, but we’ll take this as a learning experience,” Burnett said.
“But that’s the nature of this competition; it’s relentless and every team is world-class.
"The standard here is incredibly high—you’re up against the best bowlers in the world.”
Rebecca Barker, marketing manager at Club Pine Rivers, highlighted the significant benefits of hosting the event annually.
“The main benefit of hosting this event for us is that we get to reach so many people to show them bowls isn’t just the same old sport that grandparents play,” Barker said.
“During this week, we have thousands visit our club, including a number of people from out of state, such as NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, and across QLD.”
Pirates bowler Alex Marshall, a seasoned athlete, has played a record-breaking 237 BPL games.
The Pirates, previously known as Brisbane Gold and Brisbane Pirates, have won two BPL tournaments: the inaugural APL01 and BPL08.
They have also placed runners-up three times, equaling second place with the Adelaide Endurance in the competition’s history.
The Pirates have appeared in five premiership matches, the third-most grand final appearances in BPL history.
This year, the tournament welcomed two new teams: the Sydney Saints and the Geelong Jets.
