Olivia Cartwright brought home two runner-up medals from the Australian Bowls Open, including in the prestigious women’s singles event. Photo: Bowls Australia/Paul A. Broben Photography
Although she may not have come home with a championship, the 2025 Australian Bowls Open was one to remember for Olivia Cartwright.
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The Moama Steamer featured in two finals on Thursday at Broadbeach Bowls Club on the Gold Coast, in both the women’s fours and the blue ribbon singles event, at the country's most prestigious bowls tournament.
“You go into these tournaments wanting to achieve the ultimate end goal of walking away with a trophy, but it's a big two weeks of bowls, and I was just grateful to make two finals and have the success that I did,” Cartwright said.
Turning 21 during the tournament, Kyabram’s Cartwright displayed impressive bowling throughout, with her singles run ending at the final hurdle by veteran Australian representative Dawn Hayman, who claimed her own maiden title.
Cartwright booked her place in the final on the competition’s middle Sunday (June 15) and had four long days to think about her Thursday afternoon decider.
With dozens of games of bowls played over the two weeks, including ongoing pairs and fours campaigns, Cartwright had plenty to focus on during that time.
“I had quite a few days until I did play singles again, but I was playing bowls every day right up until then,” she said.
“It was a busy schedule, so I was ultimately just taking it one step at a time, and looking at what game I had next.
“(I was) ensuring that I did my recovery practices, was continuously analysing my game, and reflecting on each game's play so I can improve.”
Hayman grabbed the early advantage in the singles final, getting out to a 5-0 lead and was on top by as many as nine before Cartwright launched a comeback.
The margin was reduced to four, but Hayman rallied and scored big late in the contest to close out the first-to-21 contest, 21-11.
Admitting she was a little overawed by the occasion, with the final broadcast live on 7Plus, Fox Sports, Kayo and Sky Sports NZ, Cartwright was still pleased with the way she took on the decider.
“I did play some big shots that forced her to make that conversion, so if she did miss a draw shot, I had multiples there, but overall, it was probably just her first-bowl consistency pressure.
“I didn't bowl as good as I had been to make it to the final, but performing before the final allowed me to make the final.
“It was disappointing that that's how I ended, but I gave her a good tussle and (I'll) definitely take it as one big learning curve.”
Hayman herself had to lose a final in order to win one, going down in the 2022 decider to Kelsey Cottrell.
Cartwright also reformed three-quarters of her 2023 fours-winning combination, with Rebekah Lord joining the team of Cartwright, Laura Butler and Chloe Stewart.
Laura Butler, Olivia Cartwright, Rebekah Lord and Chloe Stewart finished runner-up in the women's fours. Photo: Bowls Australia/Paul A. Broben Photography
“Straight away, we kind of gelled,” Cartwright said.
“I think (Lord) realised that we're pretty easy-going girls, and we're all out there with the same mindset, the same ambition to get the win and give it our best.”
The quartet defeated a combination containing Cartwright’s singles opponent Hayman in the semi-final on Wednesday night, and backed up the next morning in the final, the same day as the singles final.
Cartwright expressed gratitude to her fellow Moama competitors at the Open, who cheered her on in-person, as well as the Steamers back home, who held a watch party at Moama Bowling Club.
“I actually didn't know that the viewing back home was happening until the morning of,” she said.
“I just got on Facebook, and it was there, and I was like, well, that's the sweetest.
“Knowing that I had literally the whole club behind me was so great, knowing that each and every one of them was proud of my success.
“The messages that I got from them were so personal, and it just gives me that extra drive to do better.”
Cartwright has another packed month ahead, including a trip to Singapore to represent Australia’s under-25s in the Lions City Cup, competing in the Victorian Indoor finals, and an Australian emerging players series in Queensland, all before the end of July.
Also at the Open, Kyabram’s Henry Boswood put in an impressive performance, reaching the semi-final of the under-18 boys singles.
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