COOKTOWN bowls sensation Corrine Stallan has again wowed selectors with her poise both on and off the rink, being selected for the Queensland team for the second year running.
The 17-year-old and her mum Katrina Lewis have just returned from the State Junior Championships in Bundaberg, where Corrine narrowly missed a gold medal in the singles.
“It’s her last year in under-18s and she was hoping to win gold, but lost by two bowls,” a proud Ms Lewis said.
Her mum said it was not just Corrine’s bowling skills, but also her attitude off the rink that made her stand out.
“She composes herself well and represents the Cooktown Bowls Club well. She’s always encouraging her team, win or lose,” Ms Lewis said.
A reflection of her strong team ethic was Corrine’s decision to stick with her less-experienced Far Northern bowling cohort, despite being asked to join a team of last year’s winning players.
“She wanted to stay loyal to the Far Northern juniors, even though some of them were beginner bowlers and the youngest was only 12 years old,” Ms Lewis said.
“She still did well; they all did their best and although they didn’t make it to the semi-finals, they gave it a good go; they won one game out of the three games each day.”
Corrine will head south again later this year to represent Queensland in a State of Origin clash against New South Wales.
“She was over the moon about being one of the eight girls selected for that, and then from there they will select five girls to compete at the Nationals in Perth; but we’ll just take one hurdle at a time,” Ms Lewis said.
The youngster also scooped an Australia Day award in Cooktown on Thursday as joint winner of the 2023 Cook Shire Sportsperson Award, alongside rugby league champ Makeilla Gibson.
