TALENTED teenage bowler Katie Dickinson celebrated a unique triple crown of county singles titles recently.
Having already won the WWLBA two-wood competition earlier in the summer, the delighted 19-year-old completed an impressive hat-trick when she also bagged the Under 25 and blue riband four-wood titles during a successful two days at the county finals in Haverfordwest.
In doing so, Katie, who hails from Tenby, but these days plays for Whitland Bowling Club, created a little piece of history, as it is believed she is the first player to have held all three titles in the same season.
Not content with her own individual achievements, though, she was back on the green later to also add the rinks title to her burgeoning haul of silverware, teaming up with Whitland colleagues, Sarah and Chloe Thomas (mother and daughter) and the club’s latest Welsh U18 international, Emily Davies.
It was certainly a memorable (and emotional) weekend for Katie, whose opponent in both the two-wood and four-wood finals was Tenby’s Ysie White, double holder for the past two years.
Although obviously disappointed to relinquish her grasp on the trophies, Ysie herself has also had reason to celebrate recently, having been selected to represent Wales in the prestigious Hong Kong International Bowls Classic tournament in November.
An established international, who also represented her country in the 2022 Commonwealth Games at Birmingham, Ysie is no stranger to journeying to foreign climes to play bowls, however.
Nine years ago, she first travelled Down Under to take part in the World Junior Championships and last year was back on a plane to the Gold Coast in Australia as part of the Welsh team for the 2023 World Championships (having also been selected in 2020 before Covid struck).
Another local bowler ‘looking forward’ to a long haul flight in November is Katie Thomas, of Whitland, who, as 2023 Welsh singles champion, will be travelling to New Zealand to represent Wales in the World Bowls Champion of Champions event.
Before that, however, she has a shorter overseas trip to Belfast to captain the Welsh Under 25s in next month’s junior home international series… where one of her teammates will be none other than Whitland colleague Katie Dickinson.
County finals results
Four-wood Singles: Katie Dickinson (W) beat Ysie White (T).
Autumn Cup: Kath Blayney (SF) beat Mandy Jenkins (HW).
Triples: Kathy Jenner, Tracey Hollins and Cally Jones (W) beat Pat Young, Val Hubbard and Jenny Harris (N).
Under 25 Singles: Katie Dickinson (W) beat Kelsey Thomas (HW).
Two-wood Pairs: Pat Price and Lorna Hooper (P) beat Gemma and Steph Amos (SF).
Four-wood Pairs: Kathy Jenner and Cally Jones beat Kath Blayney and Sue Roden (SF).
Rinks: Sarah Thomas, Emily Davies, Katie Dickinson and Chloe Thomas (W) beat Pat Young, Karen Edwards, Jenny Harris and Val Hubbard (N).
