Tough initiation for senior sides in new-look SWC
A report for THE MERCURY by Peter Kirby
Featuring many players new to the competition, Bowls South’s Senior (Over 60’s) Women’s and Men’s sides contested the first two rounds of Bowls Tasmania’s Seniors Statewide Challenge at North Launceston Bowls Club against sides from Bowls North, Bowls North-West, and Bowls Tasmania’s Senior Women’s and Men’s sides.
Bowls South’s Senior Men were successful in the afternoon round of the competition, winning a very close encounter with their Northern counterparts, 55-53, sharing a rink win each and drawing the third.
Brad Knight and his team of Grant Chamberlain, Keith Miller and Phil Ions won their match against Northern skip, Noel Pedley by 5 shots, 23-18, ensuring a win for the South. Knight was behind early, claiming the lead on the 11th end with a 5 shot gain, holding a lead to the end.
Bowling second on the last end of the day, and a shot up in the head, and intent on bewildering his direct opponent, Knight ensured that he didn’t disturb the head by delivering a superbly weighted bowl, but on the wrong bias. The ploy paid dividends, with a befuddled Pedley’s final bowl going wide and long, finishing in the ditch. A Knight masterstroke that ensured that he did not need to play his last bowl.
Peter Marshall’s rink of Michael Andersch, Grant Allford and Peter Jenkins played out their second drawn match for the day, tying their match with Northern skip, Alan Kemp, 17 shots all. This was a closely fought match, with Kemp holding a 2 shot lead going into the last end. Last end heroics by Marshall’s rink gained the 2 shots needed for the draw.
Chris Miller and his rink of Peter Gangell, Morgan Williams and Mick Daniels also started slowly, finally getting 1 shot in front of their Northern opponent, Ray Boutcher, on the 17th end, only to concede 4 shots on the last end to lose, 18-15, and just enough to ensure a win for the South.
South’s Senior Women lost to the North’s senior Women 2 rinks to 1, by 8 shots, 47-55. Cheryl Ann Nielsenbeck had a solid 11 shot break on Northern skip, 24-13, and South’s Noeline Fehlberg lost by the slimmest of margins to Margaret Campbell, 12-13. Trudy Davis lost to her Northern opponent, Judith Gurr, 11-29.
The morning round provided the toughest task of the day for the Southern sides, with both drawn to play their respective Tasmanian side. Having six regular Southern players selected in Tasmanian side, South’s women lost on all three rinks to the State side, 24-61.
The Southern Men’s side, with 8 of the 12 players new to the competition, put up a good showing against their State opposition, losing on two rinks and drawing the third. Peter Marshall’s rink of Michael Andersch, Grant Allford and Peter Jenkins matched with State skip David Minns, 14 shots each, over the 18 ends played. The South lost the match, 37-63.
In other matches, Bowls North’s Women defeated Bowls North West in the morning round, and the Bowls North West Women suffered another all-rinks loss to the Tasmanian Senior Women’s side in the afternoon, 39-64.
Bowls North West’s Senior Men lost both of their matches, 44-53, to the North in the morning round, and 49-60 to the Tasmanian Senior Men in the afternoon round.
Bowls North, yet to play either of the Tasmanian sides, leads the Senior Men’s competition on 13 points, from Bowls South on 10 points, and Bowls North West on 4 points.
Bowls North also leads the Senior Women’s competition on 22 points. Bowls South is in second place, on 2 points, and Bowls North-West is yet to gain a point. Rounds 3 and 4 of the Seniors Statewide Challenge will be played in Launceston on Tuesday16 January.