FOR the first time men will take to the greens in division one of Bendigo lawn bowls’ midweek pennant competition this upcoming season.
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The Bendigo Bowls Division board on Wednesday night ratified a decision that clears the way for men to compete in the top flight of the midweek pennant competition set to start in October.
Under the rule changes division one midweek pennant teams – which have previously been women only – can now have one male per rink to play either lead or second.
There has been no changes to the rules that were already in place regarding men playing in the division two to five competitions – one male per rink in division two, three and four to play either lead or second, and two males per rink in division five with the same position restrictions.
Three options for change were presented to the clubs in a survey, with 53 per cent voting for the “restricted” proposal allowing men to join division one.
The option of an open competition where midweek teams could potentially be filled with all men received 35 per cent; 10 per cent voted for the status quo, while a women only competition to run alongside an open competition attracted just 1.6 per cent of the vote.
“We’ve got to comply with the Equal Opportunity Act… that’s why we’ve had to go down this path of making change,” BBD secretary Geoff Howes said on Thursday.
