11. Nev

The Winter Pennant Season for team Composite was more of a number-filling effort than a chance at the Premiership. Both Robert & I were first year players and we couldn’t get a regular third. Our saviour was the super-skip himself, Les Delaney. Let’s face it – Les was a Division 1 or 2 bowler from Flemington-Kensington who put his hand up to play with us. Back then, to Robert and I he was Jesus. He had more talent than our entire bowling club put together.

Daylesford had a Winter Pennant team in the same year. They had this young kid leading for them – he couldn’t have been any older than 11, but it was obvious he had some ability.

When one of the matches was done, Robert and I would do the same thing as always. Go inside, drink cups of tea, eat sausages and then get straight back out on the bowling green for a driving extravaganza. All the older guys would sit inside where it was warm and hammer down pots of beer like it was their last day on earth.

To make things interesting, we asked the young kid from Daylesford if he would be keen coming on the green for a bit of fun. I will never know if he did it out of boredom or pity, but he jumped out of his seat and came out with us.

It is funny how you meet certain people at different times of your life. I mean, knowing today compared to what I knew then, I would never have picked the fate of this new friendship. The young kid from Daylesford called himself “Nev”. At that time I had no idea what his last name was or if Nev was even his name, but what I do remember is that the driving contest outside was exhilarating for the young kids. Of course playing front end, we never got the chance to attack during a match. This was our release and fun, albeit to fill in time until our lift was ready to drive us home.

Before Nev zoomed off, we grabbed his phone number as an effort to play a game together one day. This was 17 years ago and no doubt, the Lee Schraner / Nev Rodda partnership on the green has come a long way since that freezing drive contest at Mount Cottrell in 1995. I knew there was something about this kid that seemed different from others – he had the desire to want to achieve on the bowling green, not just turn up week to week and throw them down. I use to tell myself every time I went out on the green that I was going to play for Australia one day and that each and every match was only going to help me learn – eventually, with a realisation that this goal could be achieved. Nev seemed to have the same ideas on the sport. He too wanted to be successful. It wasn’t long before he had Don Sherman onboard coaching him to State Under 18 titles and good performances.

When the Winter Season finished in August, it wasn’t long before the Summer Season would get underway again. School was definitely the main priority, but as long as I kept up the pattern of A’s, Mum and Dad really had no reason to not let me play bowls.

Both Doody and I would start in the bottom side as leads – at Bacchus Marsh in Round One. I remember that I was leading for Ray Blackeby and we were getting slaughtered. Robert was leading for Eddie Knight and they were well in front. Our rink scored about 15-0 on the last 5 ends to go down by 11. Eddie’s team won by 17 which meant that we won overall by 6 shots. It was the best feeling! Not only was it our first game on grass, but it was both of our first ever pennant wins – and together!

By Christmas, we had both found our way leading in the Division 2 side, which was the top side at Mount Cottrell. What an amazing thrill! Our first year of bowls and both leading in the top side of pennant.  Maybe we were going to make it big in this game.

But we were never going to make it big at lil ole Mount Cottrell.