Moama's Matthew Robertson won the men's triples at the 2026 Henselite Victorian Open. Photo: Bowls Victoria
Moama bowler Matthew Robertson has taken out the men’s triples at the recent Henselite Victorian Open, with the local club having solid representation across various events at the tournament.
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Robertson teamed up with Tallygaroopna duo Mitch Sidebottom and David Daws to win the event, going one step further in 2026 after being the runner-up at last year’s open.
He noted that the run to this title was not perfect, the trio dropping its third game in section 25 to conclude the round-robin phase with a 2-1 win-loss record, though its +21 score differential demonstrated a superiority.
That superiority was on full display entering the knockout phase, as the trio won its round of 32, round of 16, and quarter-final matches by a combined score of 58-15.
Its greatest challenge came in the semi-finals, the Bundoora-Moonee Valley trio of Brody Harker, Mathew O’Brien, and Nathan Lynch taking an 11-5 lead after the first six ends.
Robertson’s team pulled off an emphatic comeback across the remaining nine ends, outscoring its opponent 10-2 to claim a narrow 15-13 win overall.
The final was much more straightforward, a solid start setting up the team for a comfortable 14-7 win.
“We were pretty happy with the way it went, we had a reasonably crazy run through the field,” Robertson said.
It’s an event the Moama bowler has had much success in, winning with various trios but always remaining the common denominator.
“I'm lucky enough that over the journey I've won the triples four times, been runner-up twice, and I've been runner-up in the singles pairs and mixed pairs,” Robertson said.
Matt Robertson is now a four-time winner of the men’s triples event. Photo: Bowls Victoria
Robertson said it is “fantastic” the Moama Bowling Club supports the players to compete at such events, and agreed that it was great to see solid local representation at a statewide tournament, with other bowlers performing well.
Moama duo Cassandra Millerick and Cameron Keenan reached the quarter-finals in the mixed pairs, knocking out Robertson’s pairing in the round of 16.
Millerick also reached the round of 16 in the women’s singles, where she bowed out to former Moama bowler Olivia Cartwright.
Cartwright had an incredible, history-making tournament, winning every single event and becoming the first ever bowler to achieve such a feat, succeeding in all 32 of the matches she played.
Robertson won the state pennant with Cartwright last year, and could not hide his pride in seeing her continue to achieve accolades.
“Just because she's not at Moama, it doesn't mean we still don't follow and admire what she's done, but what she's done, 32 games without a loss is just, I don't believe it will ever be done again, like that's just ridiculous,” he said.
Elsewhere at the tournament, another Moama bowler in Gracie Retallick reached the semi-finals of the under-18 girls singles, while Echuca had representation, with Dianne Payne’s trio reaching the quarter-finals of the women’s triples.
