Statewide Challenge Selector Reports 2023
OPEN MEN’S SELECTION REPORT
ROUNDS 1 & 2
The first two rounds of Statewide Championships were conducted on 4th December at Kingborough Bowls Club where several forced changes were required to the South’s successful 2021/22 team with the loss of two state players, one being unavailable for selection and the other having moved interstate. This changed the balance of the team but opened up opportunities for other bowlers.
The South 1 side played against a star-studded NW combination intent on showing that they meant business and despite some gallant efforts South were only able to score one rink win.
The South 2 side came out firing against North and with two comfortable rink wins were able to record a 10/2 win. A special thank you to the experienced players who put up their hands to participate in this team and help guide the younger members along their development pathway.
The afternoon games saw South 2 perform capably against NW but were unable to gain any points and South 1 although much more competitive were again only able to pick up one rink win against North.
ROUNDS 3 & 4
January 29th at North Launceston saw the return of a state representative and a debutant for the morning match up against North 2 which resulted in an all rinks win with exceptional bowls being played by all and several standout performances.
The afternoon game against North 1 produced a similar standard of play and netted two rink wins for a 10/2 result against the home side.
ROUNDS 5 & 6
The final two rounds on March 5th at Burnie opened up an opportunity for another debutant and again consistent high class bowls were the order of the day. In the morning game against NW1 South were determined to atone for their performance in the opening match of the series and although going down on all rinks acquitted themselves admirably with no margin greater than four shots.
The excellent standard of bowls continued in the final match against NW 2 and netted an 8/4 result with two close losses of 1 and 3 shots and an 8 shot win.
GENERAL
Congratulations go to Will Coad, Nic Courto & Ryan Guy on retaining their places in the Tasmanian Open squad and to Mitch Banks, Jack Ellis, Josh Lording & Grant Wakefield for also earning promotion into the state squad. These selections are the result of hard work and the doubling of our squad numbers is testament to the growing depth and commitment in South bowls. Next season will see us back to being the hunters but with the same level of dedication and jumping out of the blocks from round 1 the opportunity should present for a return to success in 2023/24.
A big thank you to Darren Monks in hanging up his playing boots and taking on the role of Southern selector. Darren’s experience as a state player over a number of years was invaluable for all players aspiring to reach the same level. Well done Chicken.
Another big thank you to John Nichols who stood up to fill the Team Manager role following the sad passing of Craig Griggs (RIP Growler). John kept everything running superbly which was even more commendable given his involvement in the Junior team. Great job Nicko.
Shane Young
Southern State Selector
OPEN WOMEN’S SELECTION REPORT
High levels of enthusiasm overcame our late start for trials. As our first game was in December in the South our two teams had to be selected from our one trial.
ROUND 1
The first round was at home with the South 1 side playing against the NW. The girls played competitive bowls but alas could only manage one rink win, the South 2 side played the North and had two rink wins and an overall win. The second game saw our South 1 side pick up 10 points and an overall win against the North.
The South 2 side continued their winning streak and also picked up 10 points and an overall win. Lyn Triffitt’s rink of Wendy Gray, Deb Smith and Di Cleary had two outstanding wins setting the South up for a great start to the competition. Lauren Bank’s rink of Miley Sutton, Nadine Seabourne and Peri Buckley also had two rink wins.
ROUND 2
We travelled to the North where play was delayed and games shortened due to the weather. A high standard of bowls was played on slow greens. The first game against North 2 netted us 10 points with two rink wins and an overall win.
The second game was against North 1 where we managed to gain 2 points with just one shot the difference to the overall result. Crystal Brooks’s rink of Peta Barnett, Joy Voss and Jenny Suttie had two rink wins.
ROUND 3
The first game for the last round was against NW 2 where we could only manage one rink win. The second game was against NW 1 and also could only manage one rink win. The girls found the conditions challenging and also didn’t make the most of opportunities and lack of adjustments was also a telling factor. Lauren Banks’s rink had two rink wins.
GENERAL
We would like to make a special mention to Lauren Banks who has worked hard and is now reaping the rewards, we wish her well in her ongoing bowls career.
Congratulations to all the girls in the way you represented the South, your team spirit and camaraderie is something you should all be very proud of, well done.
Thank you to Kingborough bowls club for hosting the statewide pennant and BTS for their support throughout the season.
Rosie Geeves (State selector)
Jeanette Lane (Southern manager)
SENIOR MEN’S SELECTION REPORT
Michael Taylor (Claremont) and Jason Fowler (Kingborough) were invited to join the Senior Men’s selection panel, which provided excellent knowledge of the relative abilities of the players being considered for selection. The first two rounds of the Senior Statewide Challenge were played at the New Norfolk Bowls Club. With heavy storms forecast a decision was made before the commencement of play for all matches to be reduced to a maximum of 15 ends, a decision that proved to be spot on.
South No.1 lost by 2 shots to the North-West in the morning game, 42-44, with Shane Young the only winning skip for the South, defeating Greg Douce by 14 shots, 23-9. Tony Vince lost to Ricky Richardson, 10-15, and Grant Chamberlain lost to Ian Moore, 9-20. South No.2 lost their game against the North by 12 shots, 31-43, Grant Allford having a good 5 shot win against David Minns, 16-11, but the two rinks lost to their opponents, Shane Peck by 7 shots, 8-15, to Dennis Bassett, and Gavin Cleary by 10 shots, 7-17, to Mitch Billing.
In the afternoon round, South No. 1 suffered a devastating 24 shot loss to the North, 30-54, and losing on all rinks, Tony Vince by 7 shots to Dennis Bassett, 8-15, Grant Chamberlain by 8 to David Minns, 13-21, and Shane Young losing to Mitch Billing, 9-18. The South N0.2 side put up a spirited effort against their North-West opponents, losing the match by 4 shots, 40-44, with Grant Allford making it two wins for the day with his 4 shot win against Ricky Richardson, 17-13. Shane Peck lost to Ian Moore, 13-18, and Gavin Cleary almost pulled off a miraculous win against Greg Douce, dropping 3 shots on the last end to lose, 10-13.
Rounds 3 and 4 were placed at the North Launceston Bowls Club, with South taking on North’s second side in the morning. Except for a huge 32 shot win by Shane Young, 38-6, against Barry Hill, this match could have ended in tears for the South, as North No. 2 won on the other two rinks, Shane Gurr winning by 4 shots against Tony Vince, 17-13, and Grant Chamberlain losing to Nigel Pedley, 16-24. South won the match, 61-40.
The afternoon match against North No.1 was a nail-biting affair throughout, with the scores locked 51-all with one end to play. Unfortunately, it was the North that picked up the shot to win overall, 52-51. Again, Shane Young led the way with his 11 shot win against Mitch Billing, 26-15, and Tony Vince in support with his win against David Minns, 19-14. North won on the other rink, Dennis Bassett defeating Grant Chamberlain by 17 shots, 23-6.
The final two rounds were played on the North-West Coast, at the Burnie Bowls Club. The South played North No.2 in the morning round, losing the match by 7 shots, 42-49. Grant Chamberlain was the only winning skip for the South, defeating Geoff Williams, 21-13. Shane Young had his worst result for the series, losing by 13 shots to Grant Youd, 7-20, and Tony Vince also went down to Wayne Wilcox, 13-16.
In the final round of the series, South took on the all-conquering North-West No.1 side. This was another very close game, with South victorious by a single shot, 56-55. Shane Young finished off a very successful series, defeating Ian Moore by 13 shots, 23-10, and Tony Vince also winning against Ricky Richardson, 26-14. Grant Chamberlain did not fare so well against Greg Douce, losing by 24 shots, 7-31.
Overall, this was a disappointing series for the South, dropping to third. The side’s inability to get the better of sides from the North is disappointing. A number of new players were introduced to the side this year, most notably Chris Norris and Michael Andersch, both of whom are just eligible for Seniors and so should be giving good service to the South for the long term.
Congratulations to Shane Young, Tony Vince, Steve Graf and Chris (Nogger) Norris for their selection in the Tasmanian Senior Men’s side to play in the Nationals in Western Australia in October.
Peter Kirby
State Selector (South) – Senior Men
SENIOR WOMEN’S SELECTION REPORT
High levels of interest at the first trials session were a great example of the enthusiasm and interest that the south has in the over 60’s section.
The selection was challenging as Nadine was attempting to navigate all three roles for the South, at this point being the Team Manager and selector. Lots of support from the experienced ladies and the previous year skips helped her to get the first two teams selected.
Having the advantage of hosting the first round and seeing the two teams in action didn’t make it easier for selection of the next round as there were quite a few ladies that showed that they are good enough to be representing in the first team.
Nadine (team manager) welcomed the addition of Carol Bannister as State selector and Robyn Leggett as Selector for the final round. The enthusiasm, Southern spirit and pride were evident in this new leadership group and hopefully will lead into the 2023/2024 season. I would like to suggest a procedure manual be created for future incoming volunteers as a guide.
ROUND 1
The first round was at home with a win for the South 1 side playing against the NW. Jeanette Lane led the way with a convincing 21 shot win over Karen Redman. Rosie Geeves began her tri series campaign following her undefeated streak the previous season, with a win for the first game. Lyn Triffitt fought hard with strong back up from Dianne Peck playing well in the third position but couldn’t extinguish the on-fire Gail Thow losing this one. The South 2 side played the North with draw and two losses however one very close one only going down by one shot.
The second game saw a change in fortune with the uncomfortably cold conditions and heavy green not giving us the advantage of playing at home that it should. The North adapted very quickly to the conditions and won convincingly on all three rinks.
The South 2 side managed two rink wins in the afternoon but couldn’t quite get the overall.
Dianne Peck, Jeanette Lane and Janet Rutherford were the standout players for this round.
ROUND 2
We travelled to the North where we were ready to show what we are capable of. A high standard of bowls was on display showing depth in the senior ranks.
The first game against North 2 netted us all the points with all rink wins.
The second game was against North 1 where we managed to reverse our fortune of the southern match and get a win overall containing two rink wins. Jeanette Lane having a great match up against Maxine Monson to get the rink by two shots. This game saw Lynette Triffitt team really settle and find their rhythm.
Heading home on the top of the ladder giving us confidence going into the third round. Denise Tanner and Kerrie Lane deserve a mention for great leading this round.
ROUND 3
The first game for the last round we had a few changes due to availability and the players brought into the team did not disappoint, it was against NW 2 where our competitors won on all three rinks ready for the final game of the series.
In the final game of the series Lyn Triffitt got a rematch against Gail Thow and this time showed that she should never be underestimated with a strong win for her and her team. Jeanette Lane continued to play in spectacular form that we have seen throughout the series.
The tri series ended with Victory for the South side and the senior ladies bringing home the Trophy.
Carol Bannister (State selector)
Nadine Seabourne (Southern Manager)
Robyn Leggett (Southern Selector)
JUNIORS’ SELECTION REPORT
We had thirteen very keen and enthusiastic juniors to begin the season, due to age restrictions we had two join the open ranks during the season.
A total of eleven were available for the SWC which included a couple of boys who have just taken up the sport.
All games were played at Longford bowls club. The first two games were on grass and due to weather conditions the third was on synthetic.
Five games were won in the first challenge, one in the second and two in the third for a total of eight out of 24, although results didn’t reflect the closeness of the games, where there were only a few shots deciding the outcome.
North and North-West appear to have more experienced players but with a lot of practice and hard work the Southern juniors will be competitive moving forward.
Congratulations to all the juniors for the way you played your games, represented the South with great sportsmanship and pride, your conduct was exemplary, and all should be very proud of your efforts.
Thank you to Longford bowls club for hosting the three rounds of SWC.
To the parents a big thank you for your support and encouragement and also BTS for your ongoing assistance.
It has been a pleasure to be involved with this amazing group of young bowlers.
John Nichols
Southern selector