RAYMOND Terrace lawn bowls legend Lee Schraner is gunning for another world championship title.

The 41-year-old Port Stephens maestro has set his sights on capturing gold at this year’s World Bowls Champion of Champions Singles tournament to be staged in Auckland during November.

Schraner hopes to turn the clock back five years and collect a second men’s world championship after clinching a fourth national singles title last October in Western Australia.

The decorated Jackaroo was crowned the world’s best lawn bowler when he toppled Hong Kong’s Tony Cheung in the 2019 World Champion of Champions Men’s Singles Final in Adelaide.

He also boasts two bronze medals from World Champion of Champions singles tournaments in Sydney (2018) and Wellington (2022).

At last year’s National Champion of Champions singles event at Sorrento Bowling Club in Perth the crafty Schraner topped the standings with five wins from six rounds (15 points) to secure the title from Osborne Park’s Jack Scott and Algester’s Glen Pitts (four wins and 12 points).

It continued a record-breaking trend for the “master of the greens” who has compiled an astonishing honours list since taking up the sport as a fresh-faced twelve-year-old at Mount Cottrell Bowling Club in Victoria.

Raymond Terrace Bowling Club CEO Jason Stokes told News Of The Area that Schraner was “an ornament to the game and a valued member of the local lawn bowls fraternity”.

“Lee is an inspiration to others and his accomplishments at all levels place him alongside the greats of Australian lawn bowls,” quipped Stokes.

When Schraner captured the NSW State Champion of Champions Singles and Pairs double last year, he became the first male player since Rex Johnston in 1990 to achieve the feat.

He defeated East Maitland’s Jake Lawton in an epic singles final and teamed with former national champion Matt Baus to snare the State Pairs title with a 21-14 victory over brothers Dan and Rick Roper of Waverley.

Lee’s record-breaking State Champion of Champions singles triumph was his eighth overall – eclipsing long time hero and legend of bowls Glyn Bosisto’s seven titles and achieved in his third State after previous title wins in Victoria and Tasmania.

He is the only Australian bowler ever in history to have more world level medals than official games played for his country.

Lee has represented Australia at Under 25 level and Open level on 52 occasions, but only one of those matches was an officially capped match.

He became the 132nd male to represent Australia in lawn bowls when he led in the pairs for Mark Jacobsen against England in the Battle on the Border at Moama Bowling Club back in 2010.

Lee was named in the Australian Jackaroos Emerging Squad but at age 37 retired indefinitely from official national duties.

Schrandee has played 330 Interstate Test Matches – 28 for NSW from 2022-current, 211 for Victoria from 2004-2013 and 2020, and 91 test matches for Tasmania from 2014–2019.

He has collected an Alley Shield gold medal, a best performed rink gold medal and eleven Alley Shield silver medals and is a nine time national champion, nine time National Grand Prix champion and 23 time State champion.

Schraner is the only player in history – male or female – to have won the Australian Champion of Champions Singles gold medal four times.

He won the Australian Open Pairs in 2011, Australian Fours gold in 2019 and Australian Pairs gold in 2020 with his other two national titles achieved at the 2017 Australian Masters Games where he won gold in the pairs and triples.

At State level, Schraner has won the Champion of Champions Singles eight times, Open Singles three times, Open Pairs three times, Champion of Champions Pairs once, Open Triples twice and Open Fours twice.

He was also a three time winner of the Under 30 Singles in Victoria in 2001, 2003 and 2005 as well as a State Schools champion in 1997.

An amazing record for an amazing lawn bowler.

By Chris KARAS