Sport
23 January, 2023
Bowls region winners crowned on wild weekend
A big week of lawn bowls saw the Goldfields Men’s Over 60s Pairs, as well as the Women’s and Men’s State Singles championed. On Wednesday, the Men’s Over 60s Pairs was played at Newstead, and in what was a tight competition, Talbot’s Paul...
A big week of lawn bowls saw the Goldfields Men’s Over 60s Pairs, as well as the Women’s and Men’s State Singles championed.
On Wednesday, the Men’s Over 60s Pairs was played at Newstead, and in what was a tight competition, Talbot’s Paul Adcock and Peter McLoughlin were able to come through and win the semi-final over local hopes Rod Jackson and Bernie Gervasoni 13-9, before defeating Syd Webb and Kort Gay in the final, 14-10.
The Men’s State Singles finals were played at Avoca on Sunday morning, with Talbot’s Matthew Vernon and Newstead’s Bill Burnett making the final — Vernon defeating Highland’s Laurie Barry 25-20 in his semi-final, while Burnett defeated Dunolly’s Alan Weir by the same scoreline.
In the end, the final would be an absolute thriller, with both bowlers not giving an inch. In an exciting conclusion, Vernon would eventually take the title, winning by one shot, 25-24.
Likewise, the conclusion to the Women’s State Singles finals also saw a thrilling encounter, with Talbot’s Barb Crossley looking for her second district title after taking the Mixed Pairs competition with Paul Radstock last weekend, while Highland’s Leanne Wallis would be her main competition.
Crossley took care of Jill Morse in her semi-final, winning 25-11, while Wallis likewise took a big victory over Patricia Stancombe, winning 25-8.
In an exciting final of twists and turns, Wallis established a 19-8 lead before Crossley used her experience to close to within five shots to create an unpredictable finale.
But in an excellent display of shot making, with many shots from both bowlers landing very close to the kitty, Wallis would eventually settle back into a rhythm and hold off Crossley’s challenge, winning 25-15.
The final individual competition of the bowls season will be held over the coming weekends, with the Women’s Champion of Champions and Men’s Champion of Champions starting on Sunday, January 29 and ending on Sunday, February 12, with all games currently scheduled to be played at Avoca.
