Many things happen daily at the Cootamundra Ex-Services Bowling Club with plenty of events, players and games. Sometimes you see amazing feats occur.
Mark “Pato” Paterson has recently picked up the game, playing only his second year of bowls anywhere, he made the finals of both the A Grade (Major) Singles and B Grade (Minor) Singles.
Pato went on to win the prestigious A Grade title defeating former Champion Mike Barber by 25 shots to 14.
Pato’s father-in-law, Peter Kelly, also played and was a multiple Club Champion.
Back then, Pato would tease Peter “why are you playing that silly game.”
Now Pato can’t get himself to the new synthetic green quick enough for a social game or a practice roll up.
Bill Manwaring, Coota Ex-Services Bowling Club Chairperson said he hasn’t seen a lot like this in his time.
“Mark was never going to play bowls when he was younger. He used to tease his father-in-law about it which we have a laugh about now,” he said.
“He’s now 63 or 64 and he took the game up last year and he took to the game like nothing else, he adapted so quickly to it.
“He did study the game and he also takes holidays at Warilla on the south coast which is also a big bowls club and he has made a lot of friends that are bowlers there and he started to play the game competitively down there and has brought the game back to Coota and only played two years maximum and he has won the singles in Cootamundra, which is a big thing.
“You usually win the minor singles first. For example, it took me six years to win the minor singles and then it me another six years to win the major singles.”
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