To gain a sense of how well-respected John Gleeson was within the Tamworth bowling community, you just need to look at how many people turned out for the tournament named in his honour.
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The Tamworth City Bowling Club (TCBC) hosted two full greens of players at the annual John Gleeson Memorial Shield on Wednesday.
TCBC vice president Kerry Walden said the turnout was a testament to Gleeson, who passed away in 2016.
"He was a champion bloke," he said.
"He was fair and very competitive but he'd also bend his back a lot for the club.
"He loved this club."
The tournament is usually held over Easter but was pushed back to November in 2020 due to COVID-19.
"We got one event this year so we thought it'd have to be the John Gleeson Memorial," Walden, who is also a former president at the Tamworth City Bowling Club, said.
While Gleeson was best known for his proficiency on the cricket field - he took 93 Test wickets for Australia at an average of 36.20 - Walden said the former Test spinner was no slouch on the greens.
The 29-Test player brought the same competitiveness to lawn bowls.
And Gleeson's name is littered across the honour boards at the Tamworth City Bowling Club.
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Upon looking across the boards, Walden even managed to find Gleeson's name in places he hadn't noticed before.
Along with the life members board, J. Gleeson can be seen among the club champions, the minor-major pairs and the club pairs - just to name a few.
Gleeson also served on the club board, Walden - who could also lay testament to Gleeson's talents on the greens - said.
When asked if he got it over Gleeson often, Walden replied "no", and followed it up with a chuckle.
"He was probably one of the best two-bowl bowlers I've ever seen," Walden said of Gleeson's success in pennants.
The life member was also quick to pass on his knowledge of the game.
"He was a great mentor," Walden said.
"He'd go out there, watch you bowl, watch your action and he'd come back and advise you.
"He just loved doing that sort of stuff."
And back in the club, Gleeson was just as popular for those who were keen to hear a story or two from the man with a "very dry sense of humour".
"There'd be people around him all the time," Walden said.
"He's made a huge mark on this place, that's for sure, greatly admired."
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
