What Oliver Cartwright achieved in the recent Henselite Victorian Open Bowls Championships was simply mind-boggling.
Winning one title at a state championships, whatever the sport may be is a feat in itself, but when you win every title you pursue, as Olivia did, puts you in rare air.
Oliver, 21, won the big one, the singles crown, and was in teams which won the mixed and women’s pairs and also the triples titles.
She also won the Barb Gilbert Medal for her overall performance at the championships.
It’s a feat that has never been achieved previously, but Olivia from little old Ky did it.
Five medals amounted to a $17 000 cash collect for Olivia, and she earned every dollar of it with her unprecedented clean sweep.
When you think of the cash other sports people can win Olivia’s cash haul was trivial as good as it was for someone so young.
She might not have won the cash she deserved, but she has written herself into Bowls Victoria record books for eternity with her amazing performance, right up there in my time as one of the greatest sporting achievements from a Kyabram sportsperson.
The Kyabram community is very proud of you Olivia and looks for even bigger and better things to come – if that’s possible.
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There was a familiar face in the Kyabram Football Club reserves team which took to the field last Saturday against Shepparton Swans.
Tom Sheldon made a one-off appearance to play his 100th game with the Bombers, but not in a defensive position where he spent 99 senior games with the club and was in two GVL premiership and two runners-up teams.
Tom lives in Queensland these days and still keeps his eye in playing masters football up there.
But he gave a reminder on Saturday of his exquisite footy skills by kicking three match-winning goals in Kyabram’s win.
It was Tom’s first game with the Kyabram reserves and also most likely to be his last.
But he has left Kyabram fans with the memory of one of the best defenders of all time and one of the great kicks the club has ever had.
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Tiny Toolamba would have to be the envy of district sport fans, particularly tennis players after the unveiling of its $1.2 million multi sports court development at the local tennis club.
Described as the heartbeat of the 800 plus strong Toolamba community, the courts have hosted hundreds of tennis players from across the Goulburn Valley over the past 50 years and its makeover includes four new tennis courts with a netball court overlay and upgraded fencing, lighting drainage and acrylic drainage surface.
The works were initiated with a $847 000 grant from Sport and Recreation Victoria’s Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.
The remainder was raised by the Toolamaba Tennis and Lions Clubs, the Toolamba Recreation Reserve Committee of Management and the Greater Shepparton Shire Council.