JOY Adams has not missed a match of Monday pennant bowls for more than two decades.Even if she was sick, Mt Xavier’s Adams has turned up to play every Monday for 27 years.The only games she has not played has been when rain has cancelled play.Adams, the chair of the Ballarat District Bowls Association Monday pennant match committee and selection committee, started playing bowls in 1983 and never looked back.She was part of the Mt Xavier women’s side in 1983 that saw a return to women’s bowls at the club and started in division seven.Under her guidance, that team has since climbed the rungs to division two.A top bowler in Ballarat bowls for years, Adams also plays division one in Mt Xavier’s Saturday pennant, which has traditionally been dominated by men.She said she felt more than comfortable competing against men, although she was in the vast minority as a woman.“I treat them well and they treat me well,” she said.Adams says her Champion of Champions victory in 2006 stands out the most.She has been Mt Xavier club champion 18 times, with her most recent victory coming last year.Asked what she put her success down to, Adams said there were just three words that were behind her success — practice, concentration and dedication.“You can’t expect to win every time you step foot on the greens, it is never going to happen,” she said.Adams, who is also on the match committee at Mt Xavier, spends much of her time organising bowls events.She said in her 27 years in the game, the changes had been enormous, most notably the dress code.“When I first started the skirt had to be no longer than 15 inches (38 centimetres) off the ground. You had to wear a petticoat as well, even when it was blisteringly hot,” she said. “It’s a lot more relaxed in general these days though, which is a good thing.”Originally persuaded to start playing bowls by her husband, Trevor, Adams said Mt Xavier had become a second home.“It’s a family-like club and everybody know s everybody.“I just wish there were more young girls at the club. I thought I might have been a bit young when I took it up and I didn’t think I would like it that much. It soon grew on me and I love playing as often as I can.”Follow @Pat__Nolan