 As an Under-19 player, Vowles held the record for the fastest century scored at the Melbourne Cricket Ground until the record was broken by Viv Richards.In 2008, Vowles contested the seat of Blain as a Labor Party candidate at that year's Territory general election, although he was defeated by Terry Mills, the future Chief Minister.He nominated to contest the seat of Johnston in the 2012 election, although a controversy emerged when the Labor Party threatened the "Northern Territory News" with legal action to prevent the newspaper from publishing a story about Vowles' spent assault conviction from a fight in 1992 (Labor leader Paul Henderson had previously been critical of another candidate for not disclosing a manslaughter conviction).