Take a treacle tin, a Brasso tin, a wooden stand and a beer bottletop – and what do you have? Gunnedah’s oldest sporting trophy, that’s what.
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Lawn bowlers in Gunnedah on Sunday squared off in the annual match for the time-honoured Treacle Tin trophy, put into play 80 years ago.
The match is played each year, well most years anyway, between teams representing the President and the Secretary, in what has become one of the bowling club’s great traditions.
The Treacle Tin was the creative work of Gunnedah’s Dally Oliver. He was a graduate of the London University’s School of Engineering before he became the joint proprietor of Oliver’s Garage in Marquis Street in Gunnedah. His brother Marcus was the founder of radio station 2MO.
The Treacle Tin was no great engineering marvel but over the years it has been a source of good-humoured rivalry among bowlers. It was first placed on the trophy stand in 1933, just a few years after the Gunnedah Bowling Club was established.
On Sunday the team led by President Leo Riley had the last laugh at the end of the day, at the expense of the Secretary Allan Hillier. The President’s men won five of the eight rinks for an aggregate score of 180-145.
“They (the Secretary’s team) had been talking it up for a few weeks. They thought they were home and hosed. But they’re on a par with the St. George Dragons (Allan Hillier’s NRL team) – just not good enough,” said President Leo.
