Senior Men stumble, Senior Women succeed
A report for The Mercury by Peter Kirby
The final two rounds of Bowls Tasmania’s Seniors (over 60’s) Men’s and Women’s Statewide Challenge were played at the North Launceston Bowls Club on Tuesday of this week. Bowls South’s Senior Men’s side started the day with a 10-point lead over Bowls North and needed just one good win to win the shield for 2023-24. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Bowls South’s Women finally enjoyed a victory, albeit in their final round, but well-deserved due to their perseverance and strong commitment.
In the morning round, Bowls South’s Senior Men faced a rejuvenated Bowls North side, losing on 2 rinks, by 9 shots overall, 39-48. South’s Chris Martyn, with lead, Grant Allford, Leigh Munnings second, and Mick Daniels at three, had a close tussle with North’s Nigel Pedley rink until Pedley picked up a 3 on the 13th end to break the deadlock, winning 3 of the final 4 ends to finish 4 shots up, 14-10.
Peter Marshall, supported by lead, Peter Gangell, Greg Fehlberg at two, and Mick Coppleman as his three, had a good start against their Northern opponent, Peter Barrett, until Barrett took out 7 ends in succession to break away. Although Marshall finished strongly, the damage had been done and Barrett claimed a second rink win for the North by 9 shots, 19-10.
South’s third rink, skipped by Peter Jenkins, with Grant Chamberlain leading, Keith Miller at two, and Phil Ions his third, lead from the start against the North’s rink skipped by Shane Gurr. Gurr made a determined comeback in the middle stages of the match, but Jenkins countered, winning the final 3 ends to end 4 shots up, 19-15.
In the other match of the morning round, a rejigged State side, although winning on 2 rinks, suffered a 7-shot loss to the North-West side, 42-49. The points standings after the completion of Round 5 had the South still in front on 28 points, the North second on 26 points, and North-West on 22 points.
South’s Senior Men needed to win their final match to have any chance of claiming overall victory in the Senior Men’s Statewide Challenge. The side put in a strong effort against the North-West side, winning on 2 rinks, but the losing margin to the North-West on the third rink was enough for the Coasters to claim the win, 59-53.
Martyn started with intent in his match with Grant Youd, winning each of the first 3 ends for a 7-0 lead, then keeping up the pressure to be 11-2 at the halfway mark. Winning 6 of the final 9 ends resulted in a comprehensive 9 shot victory for Martyn, 19-10.
Marshall also enjoyed a strong start against the North West’s Trevor Docking, who fought back over the middle stages of the match to establish a 3-shot lead with 2 ends to go. Marshall’s rink finished the better, taking the last 2 ends, with a 3 on the final end closing out a memorable 1 shot win for the South, 23-22.
South’s Peter Jenkins was up against it from the outset of his match with former State Seniors skip, Greg Douce, who took control to power away from Jenkins, winning by 17 shots and steal the overall win for the North-West.
The Tasmanian side suffered their second loss for the day, a humiliating all -rinks loss to the North, by 29 shots, 42-71. North’s 2 wins on the day provided enough points for them to take out the Senior Men’s shield for 2023-24 by 6 points (38 points) from the South (32 points, and Bowls North-West third on 30 points.
Bowls South’s Senior Women started the final day of Seniors Statewide Challenge winless in the competition on 4 points, with the North-West second on 19 points, and North in the vanguard on 25 points.
Matters didn’t improve for the South in the morning round, losing on all rinks to the North by 11 shots overall, 40-51. Peri Buckley’s rink of Anne Mullavey, lead, Di Cleary at two, and third, Janet Rutherford, held the lead against the North’s Margaret Campbell rink until the 14th end, then conceded 6 shots over the last 4 ends to lose by a shot, 11-14.
Trudy Davis’s rink of lead, Elaine Taylor, Sue Clark and three, Lyn Page, was in with a good chance of winning their match with the North’s Bev Huett rink, and although Davis stayed in touch, a 4 on the 10tth end to Huett set up the winning break, Huett going on to win by 4 shots, 18-14.
Denise Tanner’s rink of Lyn Crosswell, lead, Noelene Fehlberg, at two, and third, Robyn Leggett, lead 7-0 after 4 ends, but the North’s Maxine Monson fought back to take the lead on the 8th end. A mini fightback had Tanner 1 shot ahead after the 13th end, but Monson finished the stronger, winning each of the last 5 ends to win by 6, 19-13.
Although Tasmania won on 2 rinks, North West’s Senior Women claimed a memorable win over the State side in the other match of the morning round, through Rose’anne Howard-Smith’s 16 shot win over State skip, Rosie Geeves. North-West won the game by 5 shots, 58-53.
Saving the best until last, South’s Senior Women finally opened their winning account, defeating the North West’s Senior Women on 2 rinks, by 10 shots overall, 47-37, to snuff out any chance of the North-West challenging the North for the winner’s shield.
In a close game early against the North West’s Helen Sturzaker, a 3 on the 6th end helped Davis to move into the lead, which she extended over the remainder of the match for a good 10 shot break at the end, 19-10.
In an arm wrestle of a match, with no more than 4 shots separating the two teams at any stage, Buckley’s tenacious efforts finally bore fruit, enabling her to win each of the final 4 ends to overtake her North-West opponent, Howard-Smith, for a 2-shot victory, 13-11, for the South’s second rink win.
In the third match, Tanner was in the ascendency until 3 ends from the finish of her game with the North West’s Jill Silvey, dropping 4 shots to Silvey to lose by 2, 14-16.
Tasmania prevailed over the North for a 2-rink, 2-shot win, 54-52, but the North had already done enough to guarantee them top spot overall on 39 points, from the North-West on 29 points, and the South finishing on 14 points.
Bowls Tasmania’s one-season experiment of playing all 3 rounds of its Seniors Statewide Challenge in Launceston, at the North Launceston Bowls Club, is now up for review and it would be the wish of most of Bowls South’s Seniors sides that the series return to its previous format of a truly statewide competition, with each of the regions conducting one of the three rounds. This would ensure that the Seniors get to play one of the three rounds at a club in their own region.
Members of Bowls South’s Senior Women’s and Men’s sides are encouraged to forward their thoughts and opinions in regard to Seniors State Wide Challenge format to the Bowls South Secretary to assist Bowls South in preparing an informed, comprehensive submission to Bowls Tasmania’s review.