Koby Cromie bowling at the nationals on the Gold Coast. Photo: Supplied
Benalla teen bowls sensation Koby Cromie has claimed a third consecutive national title, having taken out the under-18 boys’ pairs national championship on the Gold Coast on Friday, October 11.
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Alongside playing partner Charlie Boswood, the duo triumphed 17-13 in the final over the South Australian pair of Kobe Jarman and Charlie Hicks to secure back-to-back titles as a pairing, while it is a third consecutive title for Cromie, who secured the 2022 title alongside Will Mays.
The emerging talent was proud of his astonishing individual three-peat; however, it was sharing in the gold for a second year in a row with great mate Charlie that really capped off a brilliant week.
“Yeah, I played all right, obviously I could have gone better, but I was pretty happy with how we went as a team, I guess,” Koby said when reflecting on his tournament.
“For me personally in the pairs that’s three in a row. But to go back-to-back with Charlie, that felt really, really special, because we get along really well.
“So to have that connection, it really meant a lot to then come away with the win.”
Playing at Club Tweed, the Victorian duo set about their title defence against NSW, where they made it clear to the rest of the competition that they were still the benchmark, recording a crushing 22-6 shot win.
It would be more of the same against Tasmania, with the duo comfortably winning 27 shots to 12, before a 20-16 win over Western Australia in the final pool game confirmed a title showdown against the South Australian pair.
Koby Cromie with his haul of medals from Bowls Nationals on the Gold Coast 2024. Photo: Supplied
While the final started off relatively evenly, with the two sides trading shots in the opening exchanges, the Victorians jumped out to a decisive 6-1 lead after the fourth end, a lead they would never surrender.
Despite taking a game-high six-shot lead at the end of the 11th end, the Victorians didn’t have it all their own way, with the South Australians going on a 6-0 run over the following three ends to tie things up at 12 shots apiece with four ends remaining.
It was at this point that the mateship between the Victorians shone through, with the pair able to lean on each other at pivotal moments in the contest.
“Charlie’s really good,” Koby said.
“He’s got a funny sense of humour, so in stages like that you can sort of rely on him to keep the game calm and relaxed, and sort of keep that energy about in the game when it does get close.
“Obviously you get a little bit nervous, but knowing that we’ve done it before, I had faith in us to just finish the game strong and do what we do best.”
And that is exactly what they did.
The defending champions showed all of the class and experience that comes with having won the title previously, claiming five shots in the final four ends to eventually prevail by four to claim a brilliant victory, one which carries extra significance for Koby.
“That was my last under-18 nationals,” he said.
“I’m 17 this year, turning 18 next year. It was pretty good to go out in my last nationals and get a gold medal.”
Gold wasn’t the only medal hanging around his neck on the flight home, however, with Koby also picking up a bronze in the singles competition, as well as a silver by virtue of Victoria finishing second overall behind NSW.
Koby is hoping his success will carry on into the Metro weekend pennant season in Melbourne, where he is entering a second campaign with powerhouse Essendon Bowls Club.
The young star was a member of the club’s inaugural premier reserve winning side last season alongside his father, Tim, helping secure a return to the premier division for 2024/25, where he has his eyes set on helping deliver the top prize.
