26-year-old Brentton Donaldson claimed the Lowry Cup singles at the weekend. Photo Tetsuro MitomoHe’s been playing bowls seriously for just three years, but Brentton Donaldson didn’t let his relative inexperience stop him from claiming one of the most coveted prizes on the Mid Canterbury bowling calendar.

The 26-year-old painter, who started playing bowls because he’d played every other summer sport and wanted to try something new, took down some of the big names of the local bowls scene on his way to claiming the coveted Lowry Cup singles title on the Methven green on Saturday.

Making just his second appearance at the finals day of the longstanding competition, Donaldson said the fact there were no expectations on his own shoulders helped him keep his head throughout the day.

“I didn’t really worry too much,” Donaldson said.

“I don’t think anyone expected me to win it, so I could just get on with it and play my game and not worry.

“I managed to get the green pretty quickly, it was playing great which helped a lot too.”

To earn his place in the final, Donaldson had to stave off the challenge of two Methven players to get there, beating Bruce Harper in the second round of the day after the bye in the morning before facing an in-form Brent Mayson who had accounted for Bruce White and Craig Carter.

He then met Richard Kane in the final which was a race to 21 shots and down 16-19, Donaldson was in trouble.

He managed to pull off the comeback though and turned around that three-point deficit to claim the 21-19 victory.

“I was pretty rapt, it was a really good field of players.”

He first picked up bowls while at school, but after some gentle encouragement from his grandparents, who both play, he joined the Ashburton club three years ago and hasn’t looked back.

A fast mover in the bowls ranks, he’s a prominent figure in representative sides, but up until the weekend he hadn’t secured a major title.

“A while back I sat down with the late John “Bigsy” McLay and we talked a lot about winning a major event.

“We nutted it out and it was decided that was to be my plan, unfortunately he passed away a while after that so the win on the weekend was definitely for him.”

Still technically classed as a junior in bowling terms, Donaldson looks to have a promising career in front of him on the greens and if he can continue to produce the results like he did at the weekend, there’s no doubt that higher honours won’t be too long in coming.

By Matt Markham © The Ashburton Guardian - 6 March 2018