THE Australian National Blackball Championships are just around the corner and local organisers, Mark and Samantha Cottingham are excited about the week-long tournament.

With teams and players coming from all across Australia to represent their state, Mark is preparing for the competition himself as the only Hamilton local in the Victorian team.

He will be joined by one player from Portland, a couple from Warrnambool, while the rest of the team all comes from around the Ballarat and Melbourne regions.

Being a part of around a 50-person Victorian team, Mark said while the competitors would arrive with every intention of winning, it would also serve as somewhat of social event.

Subscribe for full story.