Warrant Officer Brent 'Masha' Marshall has claimed the 2025-26 Bowls South Australia State Fours title, playing as lead for a combined Salisbury-Modbury team.
The grand final went down to the wire, finishing at 9.45pm after a long day of competition. Warrant Officer Marshall's team drew 11-all after the regulation 15 ends, before securing victory in an extra end, with a final score of 12-11.
"It was pretty thrilling to finally get a state championship under your belt," Warrant Officer Marshall said.
"A lot of people play bowls for a long time without winning a state event, so it's really nice to actually get one and get the recognition for good bowls."
An avionics technician by trade, Warrant Officer Marshall currently serves as Warrant Officer Technical with the Joint Electronic Warfare Operational Support Unit at Defence Science and Technology Group Edinburgh. He competed alongside Salisbury clubmates Mitch Walker and Corey Hicks, as well as Simon Dorr from Modbury.
As lead, he played a crucial role in setting the foundation for every end.
"A good lead will determine if you win the game or not, and a good skipper will determine how much you win by," he said.
"If you can control the length of the end and set up those early bowls, it really does go a long way to winning that end and the match."
Warrant Officer Marshall's connection to lawn bowls runs in the family. He grew up in the north-west Western Australian mining town of Port Hedland, where his father was the greenkeeper at the local bowls club. He played one season as a 14-year-old but prioritised cricket at the time.
He returned to the sport again in 2014 while posted to Perth, joining his parents' club for social competitions with them.
Around 2018, he discovered the Defence lawn bowls community, which opened the door to involvement with the Air Force Bowls Association and broader Australian Defence Force (ADF) representation.
'On the bowling green, you are striving to put your best foot forward to contribute to the team performance.'
Balancing a full-time Defence role with competitive bowls has been made possible through strong support from leadership, noted Warrant Officer Marshall, who has served in the Air Force for the past 26 years.
"I've been very fortunate in my last two or three postings that I've had really good chain of command support," Warrant Officer Marshall said.
"The understanding from the chain of command about how you're promoting the Air Force brand, the Defence brand in the community, it does actually go a long way."
He said that participation in sport highlighted the human side of service members and aligned closely with Defence values.
"On the bowling green, you are striving to put your best foot forward to contribute to the team performance," Warrant Officer Marshall said.
"But more importantly, you must display the values of a good teammate while following appropriate etiquette towards both your side and the opposition.
"This is especially important when you are promoting the Defence Bowling brand by wearing the Air Force or Defence bowling uniform."
Warrant Officer Marshall said he was encouraged by growing efforts in South Australia to expand the Defence bowls community and hoped it would attract more serving members while potentially inspiring future ADF recruits.
With the state title secured, the team has qualified to represent South Australia at the national championships in October. However, Warrant Officer Marshall will be unable to attend due to an important Defence training commitment. Instead, he is looking forward to the upcoming ADF Lawn Bowls National Championships, to be held at Salisbury Bowls Club in South Australia.
His advice to fellow aviators, particularly those in junior ranks, is straightforward and welcoming.
"You may lose more than you win. You may win more than you lose, but the friends that you make along the way and that camaraderie you develop is probably bigger than the game itself," Warrant Officer Marshall said.
"Defence lawn bowls has been growing a pretty good product for the last few years, and we'll happily take new bowlers of all levels of ability."
