There was simply no stopping St John’s Park stars Brianna Smith and Dawn Hayman at West Dubbo, with the Australian Jackaroos producing a flawless weekend to claim the 2026 West Dubbo Women’s Classic Pairs.

Smith and Hayman were the standout combination across the three-day tournament, finishing as the only undefeated team in the 36-team field, with eight wins from eight games.

From the opening round, the classy St John’s Park pairing showed exactly why they are regarded among the best in the country, displaying tremendous consistency, composure and shot-making throughout the weekend. By Sunday afternoon they had completed the perfect 8-0 record and secured the $7,000 first prize and another major title for their impressive resumes.

For West Dubbo, having two current Australian representatives make the trip west was a tremendous boost for the tournament and another indication of the quality the Women’s Classic continues to attract.

There was still plenty of drama heading into the final round, with a number of prizemoney positions remaining undecided until the final bowls were delivered. G. Dowley and S. Steele finished strongly to claim second place and $3,400, while C. Hooker and O. Muncaster, representing Maitland and East Cessnock, secured third place and $3,000.

J. Clout and R. Moore from Tuggeranong finished fourth, ahead of J. McKennall and M. Reynolds from Carlingford in fifth, while J. Scott and S. Stewart from West Tamworth claimed sixth position, K. Cartledge and L. Birch from Queanbeyan RSL finished seventh, and K. Jackson and J. Bianchetto rounded out the top eight.

Another major feature of this year’s Classic was the three days of live streaming provided by Benny Two Shoes. The coverage gave bowls followers from around NSW and beyond the opportunity to watch the tournament, with reports of very impressive viewing numbers across the three days. West Dubbo sincerely thanks Benny for making the trip and helping showcase the tournament to a much wider audience.

The club also acknowledged the tremendous support of Club Dubbo, its Board and staff, along with Darren and the greens team, Anna and the Bistro staff, bar staff, Bowls Committee members and the many volunteers who worked behind the scenes throughout the weekend.

Special thanks also went to umpires John Rodis and Steve Ryan for their contribution across the three days.

There was hardly time to catch a breath following the Women’s Classic, with the West Dubbo Open Gender Singles also reaching its conclusion on Sunday afternoon.In an entertaining final.

Grant Gudmunson continued his outstanding season by defeating Gavin Dart 21-16 to claim the title. Gudmunson had earlier defeated clubmate Di Wilson 17-11 in his semi-final, while Dart booked his place in the decider with a thrilling 17-16 victory over Craig Jeffery.

It was another terrific club championship, with West Dubbo thanking all players for their cooperation in getting the competition completed.

There was also action in the Open Gender Minor Pairs, with Kelly Dart and Steve Ryan defeating Nathan Goodridge and Dan Morris. The remaining semi-final will see Dave McGrath and Col Teale take on Aileen Beecroft and John Fardell for a place in the final.

The West Dubbo Women’s Minor Singles gets underway this Saturday, with Gai Teale taking on Aileen Beecroft, while Bev Margery faces Amillie Lowe. Players remaining in the Men’s Minor Singles will be contacted to arrange their upcoming matches.

Members are also reminded that Wednesday and Friday social bowls will revert to a 10am start, with names to be in by 9am.

There will be no slowing down on the local bowls scene, with West Dubbo and Dubbo Macquarie set to host the 18th National Diggers Carnival next week. Around 50 teams from across Australia are expected to descend on Dubbo for three days of competition, with $10,000 in prizemoney on offer.

It continues a huge period for bowls in the city and provides another opportunity for Dubbo to showcase its greens, clubs and hospitality to bowlers travelling from right around the country.