99 per cent inspiration
Steve Tong’s Hamilton “Triple J” boys John (Newel), Jason (Moore) and Jim (Wise) had the POWER to win the 2014 Champion of Club Champion FOURS, out-gaming the favourites. Tongy’s boys from Hamilton Power had a convincing win against Des Cann’s boys from Jindalee in Round 3, 20-9, to secure themselves a finals berth against the crowd favourites, Darren McCracken’s Across the Waves boys from Bundaberg.
The Bundy boys smashed it through the sectionals, but it was like they ran out of puff in the final against the confident, talkative tactics of Tong and his bemused boys, who backed him up and obviously enjoyed the show, as the match fell their way, the Bundy boys failing to surf the wave that landed them in the final.
Across the Waves boasted impressive credentials for a country side, a newly minted Australian Champion of Champion pair in the rink, Steve McNamee on lead and Jason Andrewartha playing third, and a master tactician in Brian McMah playing second, to the quiet achiever skip Darren “Crackers” McCracken’s final say.
But it just didn’t happen, much to the disappointment of the crowd, who were expecting big things, but the Bundy boys just didn’t fire when they needed their biggest guns.
The planets aligned for Tong and his Triple J boys, long on ability, and even longer on confidence and inspiration, they turned the Bundy boys wave into a dumper.
“We’ve had some ups and downs to get here, but my boys, my “Triple J” boys, John (Newel), Jason (Moore), and Jim (Wise), well they’ve just been brilliant, and it’s great to be here,” Tong said.
Tong was a former state development officer at Bowls Queensland, but found the travel too much to be famiy-friendly.
Now he’s doing a mechanics apprenticeship, happier than Larry, and playing exciting bowls.
In the final, Across the Waves opened proceedings, 3-1 after three ends, but by the fourth, it was 3-3, and then Hamilton was off.
The most noticeable difference was in the calls, Tong proposed shots, his team responded, he talked out loud about what he wanted to do, and he went and did it.
McCracken’s boys were quieter and didn’t show the energy of the Hamilton boys, who ran, leaned, jiggled, bounced, gasped and celebrated their shots, it was like watching a show of bowls, not just a game.
The score was still close at the end of the 10th, 11-9 to Hamilton.
But with five shots on the 13th to take the score to 19-9, and another four shots on the 14th, Hamilton was uncatchable at 23-9.
Across the Waves tried, they took two on the 15th to improve their chances, 23-11, but too little, too late.
Across the Waves stayed on 11 shots for the next four ends as Hamilton added tidbits, winding up proceedings at the end of the 19th, 28-11 to Hamilton, a well deserved victory, and unfortunate for the Across the Waves, who deserved a better result in the final becasue of the outstanding promise they showed in all three sectional rounds.
Congratulations to Hamilton boys and Yeppon girls, worthy champion of club champion fours winners in 2014.
Tomorrow is PAIRS sectional pay, final round and finals on TUES OCT 21.
Singles sectional rounds WED, final THURS OCT 23.
Hope to see you to watch some great bowls at Toombul Bowls Club.
For results click here C0CC draw_men
