BOWLS: Shadwell aims to bow out on a high
7:00pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Sport
Graham Shadwell
TROWBRIDGE bowler Graham Shadwell expects this year’s World Championships in Australia to be his last major international competition, as he looks to concentrate on family life and domestic success.
The 36-year-old, who plays for the Spencer Moulton outdoor club in Bradford on Avon and Clarrie Dunbar indoors, has been named in the England team for the championships in Adelaide in November and December.
Shadwell, who won bronze with England in the fours at the 2008 World Championships in New Zealand and in the triples at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, said: “I’d love to go two steps better than a bronze and say ‘thank you, that’s me done’.”
“I’ve been playing for 28 years but I’d like to start concentrating on my kids (Alex, 16, Jamie, nine, and Kenzie, four) a bit more and helping them to play the game.
“When I went to the Commonwealths (in Dehli), I was away for eight or nine weeks and my wife Debbie is at home trying to look after things and play too.
“I started playing when I was eight and when people tell you you’ve got a natural talent, you don’t believe it at first but as soon as I won my first trophy when I was 12, I just kept wanting to win bigger and bigger things.
“I still want to keep my face in the scene back at home and I’ll be looking to take part in some PBA (Professional Bowls Association) events again next year and look to get on the television stages.”
Despite having almost 10 months to wait before getting stuck into this year’s World Championships, there is plenty to keep Shadwell, of Dursley Road, occupied in the meantime.
“It’s nice to know that you’re going to be taking part, even though it seems like a long way away,” he said.
“This could be one of the best years I’ve ever had because I’m into the EIBA national indoor championship area finals in the singles, pairs (with Craig Doughty), triples with (Andy Colebroke and Russell Francis) and fours (with Doughty, Andy Colebroke and Francis).
“They’re important competitions for me because you get to play against all of the local clubs and they’ll take up a lot of my time.”
Shadwell has also reached last 16 in the national mixed fours with wife Debbie, Kim Smith and Francis and the last 32 in the mixed pairs with Debbie in Northampton later this month.
WAYNE Snook missed out in his bid for glory at Rugby in the U25 national singles championship.
For the fourth year in a row the 22-year-old North Wilts bowler and England U25 triallist went out in the last 16. Melksham’s Snook was beaten in a tie breaker by Croydon’s Josh Grant, the Area 21 champion, after drawing 1-1 in sets.
Grant lost the final 2-1 on a tie breaker to England junior Perry Martin (Swale, Sittingbourne).
Snook takes on Weymouth’s Dave Smith in the last 16 of the national Champion of Champions at Hayling Island, this weekend.
