By Casey Neill
TWO Monbulk bowls players are battling more than just their opponents this week.
Robert Wilson and his son Shaun, 15, are competing in the pairs event at the 2010 New South Wales Open in Wagga Wagga.
“It was the first time Shaun and I managed to qualify for a grand prix event and it’s his first big time event,” Mr Wilson said.
But the team is facing an uphill battle after thieves broke into the family car, parked in their Jellicoe Avenue driveway on Monday 22 November.
They stole a blue bag containing two bowls from each of their sets of four.
“So they’ve rendered both of our sets useless, unfortunately,” Mr Wilson said.
The thieves broke the car’s console and ignition lock and rolled it onto the road.
“They couldn’t get the car started I assume and just left it where it sat,” Mr Wilson said.
“My guess is they wouldn’t have had the faintest idea of what was in that bag. I reckon they were just young kids but they probably felt the bag was heavy.”
Mr Wilson has borrowed a set from a friend and Shaun is using his old bowls.
“It will make it awkward, using somebody else’s bowls, for sure,” he said.
“You do get used to your own bowls and they have their idiosyncrasies in terms of how far they draw and the weight of them.”
Shaun has been playing bowls since he was about 10 years old.
“I’ve been playing since I was a young bloke myself,” Mr Wilson said.
“I followed my dad – he introduced me and then I’ve introduced Shaun. He’s actually a very good bowler.”
He just missed out on making Under 18 state team last year,
“He may get in this year, he’s only young in the context of that age bracket but I’m tipping he probably will,” he said.
Mr Wilson said the thieves probably think they have a full bowls set.
“They’re both yellow bowls so they’re the same looking type of bowls. On face value you would think that they’re a set but they’re not,” he said.
“You couldn’t even attempt to sell them on eBay because there’s two different sets in the bag. They’re not even matching.
“I suspect they’ll end up dumped somewhere.”
Shaun’s set feature a dolphin and he has only had them for a month.
“Mine are very distinctive because they’ve got a Hawthorn Football Club emblem on them,” Mr Wilson said.
“If they rocked up at the local bowling club with them they’d be very easily identified. Someone would see those immediately. “We’ll get these claimed through insurance so eventually we’ll get new bowls.
“But it’s more the pain of it than anything else.”
Anyone with information should call Monbulk Police Station on 9756 6266.
