UBC Team

Gary Kelly

The first to sign on was Gary Kelly. Gary is a 35 year old Northern Irishman. He has Commonwealth and World Cup medals and is in red hot form. In 2019 he won the All Ireland Indoor Singles and Pairs titles and in March was undefeated in taking out the World Cup Singles Title at Warilla, NSW where he is currently living. Gary will likely play most games as skip.

Highlight: Gold at the 2023 World Bowls Championships in Pairs.

Recent Achievements:

🥇Gold – 2024 Australian Open Fours

🥇Gold – 2023 World Bowls Championships Pairs

🥈Silver – 2023 World Bowls Championships Singles

🥈Silver – 2022 Commonwealth Games Singles

🥇Gold – 2022 European Championships Singles

🥇Gold – 2022 European Championships Triples

UBC Profile
Name: Gary Anthony Kelly
Nickname: Gazza
UBC Team: The Dandenong Club
Brand of Bowls: Aero
Biggest personal achievement in Bowls: World Cup Champion 2019
Thoughts on the UBC format: It is a very exciting format of the game.
Favourite moment in UBC so far: Winning The Ultimate Team 2019
If you weren’t a bowler what sport would you most like to be great at: Snooker
Favourite sports person: Roy Keane
Favourite song: Don’t give up on me – Andy Grammer
Difference between playing the BPL and UBC: BPL is extremely tactical due to substitution, power play, time outs and dead ends. UBC is very exciting and you can achieve points for every single bowl.

Barrie Lester

Barrie is rated as one of the greatest of Australia’s front-end players. He has a passion for the game that is unequalled. He’s lean, muscular, has a sharp haircut and an even sharper jaw.

If you saw him down the street you would think he was an elite athlete, and you’d be right.

Barrie won a bronze medal in the pairs with Nathan Rice at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and a silver medal in the triples at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

In 2016 he was part of the triples team with Aron Sherriff and Mark Casey who won the silver medal at the 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Christchurch and won another silver medal in the fours.

Further success came as part of the Australian team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland where he won two silver medals in the Triples and the Fours.

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham Barrie won a silver medal in the triples

Harry Goodwin

Harry Goodwin is a 26-year-old from England who is set for an exciting summer in Australia with his partner, Imogen. They’re on a working and bowling holiday, and Harry’s no stranger to the game. He started playing bowls at just six years old, thanks to his Grandad’s introduction. Back home, he favours Taylor Ace for outdoor games and Taylor Blaze indoors but plans to switch it up with Taylor GTR’s while in Australia.

His goals here are straightforward: play his best and make his club proud. Drafted into Dandenong Club Blue for the UBC this December, he’ll also stand as a marquee player in Melbourne’s Pennant competition. In England, he plays outdoors at Appleyard BC and indoors at Swale Indoor Bowls Club.

Harry will showcase his skills with the Burleigh Heads Dragons in the QLD Premier League, and later this year, he’ll also head to Hong Kong for more competitive action.

Currently ranked eighth in the World Bowls rankings, Harry has an impressive list of achievements:

– World U25 Singles Champion 2022

– World U25 Mixed Pairs Champion 2022

– World U25 Mixed Pairs Silver Medalist 2023

– European Championships: Silver Medal in Fours & Gold Medal for Overall Team Win

– World Indoors Singles Semifinalist (Potters) 2024

– World Indoor Mixed Pairs Silver Medalist 2024

– World Indoor Singles Bronze Medalist 2024

National Indoor Bowls Achievements:

– National Singles Winner 2023

– National U25 Singles Winner 2022 & 2023

– National Triples Winner 2023

National Outdoor Bowls Achievements:

– National Champion of Champions Singles Winner 2022

– National Junior Singles Finalist 2021

– National Junior Pairs Champion in both 2018 & again in 2021

Harry’s journey is truly inspiring—he’s not just playing; he’s making waves!

Jack Mc Shane

We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Jack McShane as our top pick for the Orange team! At just 19 years old, this rising star from Maryland is a fantastic addition.

Jack’s journey in the world of Australian bowls has been nothing short of incredible. He’s worked so hard, climbing to a National ranking of seven.  This year has been particularly remarkable for him; he recently clinched his very first Australian Indoor title at Club Tweed in 2024 – what an achievement! This victory follows his impressive wins in the Australian Open pairs earlier this year and an under 18 Australian singles title in 2023

We can’t help but feel excited about what Jack will bring to our team. With his youthful energy and proven track record, we believe he’s going to make a significant impact. We’re all behind him as he takes this next step in his career, and we can’t wait to see how he shines on our squad!

Aaron Betts

Our other draft pick for the Orange team is Aaron Betts

He might be just 20, but he’s already dreaming big about representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. With his impressive achievements so far, he’s definitely someone to keep an eye on! People on Bowls International’s social media are buzzing about him as both a current and future star in Scottish bowls.

Aaron’s journey kicked off early; by the age of 14, he had already snagged Under 13, Under 17, and Under 25 singles titles at East Lothian. His standout moment was against Joe Mower in the final of the Under 25 singles, where he triumphed with an incredible scoreline of 21-4 in just 12 ends.

His list of accolades goes on – national indoor Under 17 triples and fours titles, an Under 18 singles crown, Bowls Scotland Under 17 pairs – you name it! In fact, in 2024 he represented Scotland at the Bowls Europe Championships and brought home bronze in the singles.

And if Aaron wasn’t bowling? You’d probably find him playing rugby!

We’re absolutely thrilled to see what Aaron will achieve next – welcome aboard!