Perth players dominate as the women’s Dawn Wellman Memorial Event draws a crowd to Albany’s Stirling Club

The 2026 Dawn Wellman Open Ladies Singles Memorial Event had a stellar turnout with players from Albany, Bunbury and Perth honouring the Albany Eight-Ball Association stalwart at the Stirling Club.

A life member of the association, Ms Wellman died in June last year making the February 21 tournament which bore her name a memorial event.

Originally created to help stay-at-home mums to take a day off to spend with other women, it has grown in stature and attracts many players from outside its home city.

The double elimination format resulted in nine hours of gruelling game play with Perth players Adele Luke and Jess Leabeter holding on to their second lives right up to the quarterfinals.

Bev Mableson, from Albany, and Perth’s Helen Francis Devenish had already burned their spare lives, both losing to Luke in previous games but managed to claw their way into the final rounds.

However, it was the Perth players who dominated the closing stages, Luke beating Leabeter 4-3 in a thriller to reach the grand final.

Devenish overcame Mableson 3-1 to earn a chance against Leabeter for the second slot and made the most of the opportunity to win through 3-0.

The best-of seven final went Luke’s way, taking the grand final 4-1, with Leabeter third overall.