MARKO KRAJANCIC

Cockburn Bowler of the year 1986-7

February 16, 2011

When Marko Krajancic arrived in Spearwood from New Zealand in 1975 he wandered down to Cockburn Bowling Club to have a look at pre season pennant practice.

The young Marko had previously played for three years in New Zealand but had never played pennants, although he had a novice singles, a club pairs, and an association junior singles crown under his belt.

As he was chatting to selector Jack Shroy news came through that Jimmy Budd, Ron Taylor's second, was a last minute withdrawal, so, with all the other players having long since departed for other venues, Shroy turned to Marko and asked if he had any whites. "I'll be back in ten minutes," was the eager response, and he lined up against Frank Harrison's side. It wasn't long before Taylor decided to try the young bloke out.

"Hit it," he called out.

"Kitty or bowl," asked Krajancic.

"Kitty," was the quick reply.

With only a fraction of the jack visible, Marko proceeded to ram the white ball into the ditch. Steve Shroy turned to the spectators and said: "Who is this #$*%^?

It was to be a preview of one of Western Australia's most prominent bowlers of the last thirty five years.

Marko Krajancic went on to win his first State title in 1982, the triples with Peter Sardelic and John Ravlich. He recalls the aftermath of that success. "We (John, Hughie Reynolds and myself) ended up at Peter's place, where he brought out the cheeses and ham washed down by copious amounts of beverages.
At four am I drove John home, where he rang the bell and was greeted by a hostile wife. He immediately turned off the light. Asked about that later, John said: "My wife is deaf, so if you can't see her there's no argument."

The list of Marko Krajancic highlights are too many for this column. A repeat State Triples in 1984 with Sardelic and Ravlich was followed by two State Singles, four times runner up, three Champion of Champion Singles, three Masters Pairs with brother Tony, Reynolds, and Norm Pascoe, a West Coast Classic Pairs when accompanied by Dennis Katuna-Rich, three State Pairs partnered by Ivan Jakovich, Graeme Wishart, and Pascoe, a State Fours Plate with Grant Willis, Jakovich, and Jeff Hall, and he was also runner up on three occasions in the State Singles.

......Marko recieving the trophy after winning the 1987 State Singles Championship
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Marko won five singles titles at Cockburn, along with countless other club trophies, and singles at Dalkeith and Yokine, and took last year's Stirling Club Pairs with brother Tony. Leading for John Rainoldi in his State debut, Krajancic has represented Western Australia in ninety eight games, playing in all positions, and was part of three National round robin titles.

The seventeen year old Krajancic was an apprentice boilermaker when he left Croatia for Australia forty six years ago. "My brother Nick had fled from communism to settle in Western Australia, and I followed him over," he said. "I'd no sooner arrived than he decided to move to New Zealand, so I strung along."

Finishing his apprenticeship with A G Healing in Auckland, the young Krajancic excelled in soccer, playing a hundred and fifty games with Central Soccer Club in the major league. He represented New Zealand in Amateur competition as a "fast and slim" right winger, "not like today." He later played with Spearwood Amateurs.

It was a social event with his employer that introduced him to bowls. "I had a calf injury and was on crutches," he recalls. "Our company had organized a social game of bowls against another company. I'd played a bit of bocce in the park, but as soon as I tried bowls I was hooked."

In three seasons at the Glen Eden club in Auckland Krajancic represented the city of Auckland in competition with Christchurch, Wellington, and Dunedin, in which he played with Rowan Brassy and against Peter Bellis and current Bedford player Adi Mayer.

A holiday with brother Tony and two sisters, Maria and Radka in Western Australia turned out to be a permanent stay. "I liked it so much that I rang my wife telling her to bring the three kids over and join us, which she did a month later," he said.

A self confessed larrikin in his earlier days, but a popular member of the bowling fraternity because of his broken English, "I had a habit of saying things the wrong way around, and they were often the butt of jokes," Marko played at Cockburn for twenty six years before being recruited by Victoria Park and was successful in helping them back into first division red, before accepting the coaching position at Yokine, with that club also making red, and it was in a similar capacity that he went to Dalkeith-Nedlands, where they also got promotion.
He is now at Stirling, with brother Tony, having helped that club to the highest level.

Marko pays tribute to wife, Sandra. "She has never had any desire to play the game, but without her support I couldn't have achieved anything." His two sons, Mark and Andre, are showing plenty of promise, with Mark winning the novice singles at Fremantle Bowling Club and Andre playing at Scottsdale, in Tasmania.

Leaving his occupation as a boilermaker to become a gardener at Government House, Marko Krajancic is now retired. He still enjoys gardening , and is often to be found at the seaside chasing a big fish.

He reckons "the Kat" was hardest to beat. Among many fine bowlers he has played with and against, he rates his top four as Katuna-Rich, Sardelic as skipper, "no equal," Pascoe, and Rainoldi. "But there were many others," he added.

Marko Krajancic has had a wonderful career in bowls in Western Australia, along with brother Tony, who is also an outstanding player, and both are well respected in the bowling fraternity.
The Krajancics continue to show their prowess and age has certainly had no effect on their abilities.


RON HEAD