Cranebrook lawn bowler Phillip Plackett is a proud New South Welshman but that didn’t stop him from giving it his absolute all when he represented South Australia recently.
Competing at the 2018 Multi-Disability Lawn Bowls National Championships in Western Australia last month, the 43-year-old collected gold and bronze as a member of South Australia’s lawn bowls team.
Plackett was originally selected as a non-playing reserve for the NSW team but when South Australia didn’t have enough bowlers to compete in all events, Disability Sports Australia got in touch with Wheelchair Sports NSW and asked whether Plackett would interested in playing for South Australia instead.
While unusual to get his head around at first, Plackett was grateful for the opportunity he was given.
“I was disappointed to not be selected by NSW initially but I was very grateful for the chance I had with South Australia,” he told the Weekender.
“The South Australian team were very welcoming and very supportive.”
Overall, it was a very successful competition for Plackett who won gold in the Men’s B5/6 pairs and bronze in the Men’s B5/6 Singles.
The Penrith Bowling Club member said he got one back on his home state when he defeated one of their bowlers in the bronze medal playoff.
“In the Singles event, I lost to Commonwealth Games medallist Tony Bonnell to get into the gold medal playoff, so I then went up against a bowler from NSW in the bronze medal game,” Plackett explained.
“NSW weren’t too impressed that I beat them and they finished fourth.”
Plackett has only been bowling competitively for less than two years and has already racked up a number of impressive achievements including gold at both the Australian Open and NSW State Championships.
Plackett said he originally took up lawn bowls for “a bit of exercise” and didn’t expect to do as well as he has.
“I have got a lot of help along the way from the good people at Penrith Bowling Club and my sponsors Kennards Hire and Wheelchair Sports NSW,” he said.
Plackett is encouraging others to join him on the green.
“I’d like to see people in the community come down and have a bowl with me. Lawn bowls is a fun sport, very social and a game for everybody,” he said.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.