Caringbah Claim Back-to-Back Success at Braidwood Invitational Pairs

The annual Braidwood Invitational Pairs was played over the weekend, with eight Caringbah bowlers proudly invited to compete in this popular country event — Wayne Bolton, Mark Willey, Stewart Murray Prior, Frank Schocker, Phil Bates, Peter Stanes, Jackson Boulden and Andy Orrell.

Weather played a major role across the two days, with persistent rain on Saturday and much of Sunday testing both patience and skill. Despite the challenging conditions, the standard of bowls remained high, with Orrell & Boulden adapting superbly to the slow heavy greens and slippery underfoot conditions.

As often happens in Braidwood, the wet conditions on tricky greens proved decisive. Going into the final round, “mud runners” Jackson Boulden and Andy Orrell found themselves needing a win of their own, while also relying on Wayne Bolton and Mark Willey to knock over the competition leaders. In a dramatic and perfectly timed finish, everything fell into place.

Bolton and Willey who had been struggling in the wet conditions rose to the occasion for their Caringbah mates, taking care of the leaders, while Boulden and Orrell produced another dominant performance against a strong local pairing to win & secure the 2026 Braidwood Pairs Championship and take home the prize money.

This great result marks the second consecutive year a Caringbah team has claimed victory at the Braidwood Invitational Pairs — a tremendous achievement and a reflection of the talent & camaraderie building within the club.
A huge congratulations must go to Andy and “Jacko” on getting this one over the line — a well-deserved win earned through outstanding bowls.

Special thanks to the other Caringbah representatives for their sportsmanship competitiveness & good community spirit & thank you to the Braidwood Bowling Club, their team of volunteers & for once again hosting a terrific weekend of bowls.
Caringbah – Club on the Move!