Exciting games end triples championships
Spectacular bowls played in men’s and women’s state triples finals at the 2015 State Championships, despite blustery and cold conditions Cold and blustery conditions put pressure on the men’s and women’s triples teams as they slugged it out for supremacy in the state championship finals at Tewantin-Noosa this afternoon.
Starting under early afternoon sun, but finishing under lights and threatening rain clouds, the players overcame the difficult weather to play some spectacular bowls to often keep the scores to within just a few points of each other.
The men’s final had spectators on the edge of their seats as eventual winners Neville Jenkins and his team of Lindsay Ponting and Nigel Smith struggled but succeeded to stay ahead of their opponents.
Each time Jenkins pulled away, Steve Halmai, Richard Strawbridge and skip Kurt Brown would regroup and come within a point of taking the lead.
On the second last end, both Jenkins and Brown, who took the final last year with Strawbridge and Paul Jopson, were on 15-all with the game poised to go either way.
In the end, Jenkins could keep Brown at bay by only a shot – but it was enough to take the game and the triples shield.
“It was a very close game and everyone played brilliantly,” Jenkins said after the game.
“In fact we had three very tough games today (quarter, semi and final). We are pensioners, so we are starting to feel it.”
The women’s final proved to be a repeat of last year as respected champion Lynsey Clarke and her team of Natasha Jones and Charlie Harkness again took on the young ace Bolivia Millerick, her sister Cassandra and their long-time playing partner Karen Goldsworthy in a triples final.
But Clarke, who skipped the same team to victory last year over Millerick and her girls, showed that experience was still something to be reckoned with and slowly but surely built up her lead.
At the tenth end, Clarke nosed further than two ahead and never looked back. As the shadows started to cover the green, Clarke pounced on any rare error from her opponents.
Millerick finally conceded defeat on the 22nd end, five minutes before the bell, when the score was 29-10 in Clarke’s favour.
“It is nice to be here collecting the shield for the second year in a row,” Clarke said. “We look forward to coming back and doing it again next year.”
She congratulated Millerick and her team for making it to the final for a second year running.
“They are all very good players,” she said.
Spectator Helen Annan, who played second against Millerick’s team in the semi-final, said conditions had made the game difficult throughout the day.
“They did it tough out there this afternoon,” Annan said.
“The conditions have changed all day. The wind can be blowing in one direction when you release the bowl, and it is blowing in the other direction by the time it reaches the head.
“I was relying on a leaf on the green to see how strong the wind was, but even that was difficult because it moved all over the place.”
The four teams had to play their way to the finals through the quarter and semi finals earlier yesterday.
For the full results of today’s play, visit https://www.bowlsqld.org/Events/State-Events/State-Championships#Results-339