ABOUT 500 lawn bowlers have converged on Bendigo in pursuit of state honours.
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Bendigo East is hosting Bowls Victoria's State Champions Week, which rolled off last Saturday and will continue through until this Sunday.
State Champions Week features all the winners from the 16 regions across the state, with titles up for grabs in singles, pairs, triples, fours, mixed pairs and champion of champion events.
Several competitions have already been run and won in the men's pairs, women's fours, men's fours and women's triples.
The men's pairs was won by the combination of William McIlwain (Trafalgar) and James Scullin (Traralgon), who defeated the Lilydale duo of Cleve Snary and Luke Lamont 15-13.
In the final of the women's fours the team of Suzanne Tyson, Jennifer O'Connor, Jenni Hill and Kerri Leask was victorious.
The winning men's fours team was Cooper Wescombe, Mathew O'Brien, John McCarron and Dylan Fisher.
And the women's triples winning team was the trio of Anita Jenkins, Sharon Jarvis and Sandra McColgan.
"The week is going really well," Bowls Victoria events and competition manager Jim Whitehead said.
"We've got about 500 participants from all across Victoria competing representing the 16 regions.
"We have had healthy numbers of spectators watching live and we've also had one of our players describe it as the best green in Australia, so the club has done a wonderful job and that's why we come back here to Bendigo East each year."
Among the lawn bowlers competing is Richmond Union Bowls Club's Samantha Atkinson, who after competing in four events will head off later this week to compete at the World Indoor Bowls Championships in Guernsey.
"Sammy is a great drawcard and we've also got a couple of other international players as well in Kelly McKerihen, who represents Canada, and Ali Forsyth, who is New Zealand representative," Whitehead said.
McKerihen and Forsyth play for Clayton and are contesting the mixed pairs.
"A lot of the players have managed to get out and about in Bendigo and see a bit of what is on offer," Whitehead said.
"When you think that there's 500 participants and they all bring along a person or two in support, it's a big economic impact in the region, which is great."
Among the competitors in the champion of champions events are husband and wife Brad Marron (Kangaroo Flat) and Taylah Marron (South Bendigo).
The Bendigo East trio of Leigh Graham, Todd Matthews and Darren Burgess will also have the home green advantage when the men's triples begin on Thursday.
