Legends tournament smashes bowls records

BOWLS What a day, what a turnout and what a tournament! Our “The Legends Bowls Day” has once again proven to be a huge success, with this year's event going down as our biggest and most successful yet. A whopping 114 bowlers took to the greens, a fantastic increase from last year's 84 players. With an extra 30 bowlers joining the action, the club was buzzing with excitement, friendly rivalry, plenty of laughs and some outstanding bowls. We were thrilled to welcome visiting teams from Caragabal, Yass, Molong, Dubbo, Eugowra, Grenfell, Young, Lake Munmorah, Orange, Parkes Railway and Parkes Bowling and Sports Club and of course our Mighty Bushrangers were well represented in the green, gold and white. It was wonderful to see so many clubs come together for a great day of competition in memory of three of our club legends, Clive Herbert, Greg Parslow and Lindsay Willding. With three games packed into one action-filled day, there was no shortage of brilliant bowls, close contests and a few surprises along the way. Prize money was awarded from sixth place right through to our overall winners, with three round winners also taking home a prize. And of course, we couldn't forget the famous Wooden Spoon Award - because even when the bowls don't go your way, there's still a chance to take home something! A huge thank you to our sponsors. An event of this size simply wouldn't be possible without the incredible generosity of our sponsors. A massive thank you to Tooheys, Forbes Associated Agents, Forbes Livestock, Hutcheon and Pearce, C & D Flooring, Gunns Mensland and City to Country Roofing. Your ongoingsupport helps make these tournaments possible, and we are extremely grateful for your contribution to the success of our club and the sport of lawn bowls. The legends behind the scenes While the bowlers were busy chasing shots and glory on the greens, there was an incredible team working tirelessly behind the scenes to make the day run like clockwork. A huge shout-out to John Cutler who is the main driving force of this tournament, to our fantastic greenkeeping team, Jimmy Daley, Phil Hocking and Richard Green. The greens don't magically prepare themselves, and the hard work and dedication these put into ensuring our playing surfaces are in the best condition certainly doesn't go unnoticed. Let's not forget the all-important job of keeping 114 hungry bowlers fed! Wendy Asimus, Sheryl-lee Cowell, Dicky Sharkey, Joe McClinden and Noel Hocking were the champions behind the feast, making sure everyone was well fed and ready to tackle the next round. A special mention to Viv Russell: Every successful tournament has someone working away behind the scenes, and for us, Viv Russell is an absolute legend in his own right! Viv is involved from start to finish. His dedication, time and willingness to lend a hand wherever needed are invaluable to our club. Viv is an integral part of making our tournaments the success they are, and we cannot thank him enough. With record numbers, fantastic competition, wonderful visitors and an army of hardworking volunteers, this year's Legends Tournament has certainly set the bar high for next year. To every bowler who travelled near or far, every sponsor who supported us and every volunteer who gave their time - thank you! It's days like these that remind us why we love this great game. It's not just about the bowls, it's about the friendships, the laughs, the community spirit and the people who make it all happen. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS The pressure is on, the excitement is building, and championship glory is up for grabs! It's finals fever at the Forbes Bowling Club this Saturday 24 October, with not one, but two Club Championship finals set to light up the greens. With club titles on the line, we're expecting some fierce competition, brilliant bowls and plenty of nail-biting moments as four determined bowlers battle it out for championship honours. 10am is the Women's Major Singles showdown - Cherie Vincent vs Lyndy Bokeyar The ladies will kick off the action in what promises to be a cracking contest. Both bowlers will be bringing their best game to the green, with neither wanting to give an inch. With the coveted Women's Major Singles title up for grabs, expect some precision bowling, determination and plenty of pressure shots. 1pm is the Minor Singles championship final - Brett Davenport vs Pat O'Neill The afternoon action will be just as exciting as Brett Davenport and Pat O'Neill go head-to-head for the Minor Singles crown. Both players have earned their place in the final, but only one can walk away with the championship title. Who will hold their nerve, deliver the winning bowls and claim the glory? We'll have to wait and see! Finals fever is only heating up, with more Club Championship semi-finals rolling through over the coming weeks. There is still plenty of fantastic bowls to come as our players continue their quest for a place in the championship deciders. So why not come down to the Forbes Bowling Club this Saturday, grab yourself a spot on the sidelines and cheer on our finalists! SOCIAL BOWLS Wednesday – They were once football buddies but last Wednesday Alf Davies and Peter Barnes were on opposite sides in morning bowls which attracted 24 players. Alf skipped for Peter Mackay to be 21-18 winners in 22 ends over morning visitor Garry Reilly and his skip Peter. It was tight all the way, 5-all after five, 14-all after 15 and 15-all after another two ends. A three on end 17 to Peter and Alf was in the end the difference. Runners-up were Ann Mackay and Laurie Crouch 23-15 in 20 over Cheryl Hodges and Barry Shine who made a snails pace start 8-0 down after only three ends. After that it was ‘even stevens’ to the finish. There had to be a drawn game and that happened between Therese Davies and Phil Bayley 15-all with Sue Smith and John Gorton over 20 ends. Again pretty even all game, 4-all at the end of seven, 8-all after 12, 11-all at 16 before Therese and Phil scored a three on end 19 only to see Sue and John take one for draw on the last. Another close game had Neil Riley and Dale Scott winning 19-17 over Sid Walker and Billy Cowell. Sid and Billy looked good at 11-1 after nine but struggled a bit on the run home highlighted by a six on end 21 of 22 to Neil and Dale who then added another on the last. Dean Jeffery and Scott McKellar combined well to win 20-14 in 20 over Don Craft and Kerry Dunstan just in front 8-7 at half time before leading 17-10 at 16 ends. In the last Colleen Liebich and Lyall Strudwick cruised home 24-9 in 20 over Irene Riley and Paul Doust only leading 6-4 after seven before dominating 23-4 after 16. In-club winners Colleen Liebich and Scott McKellar. Thursday - Close calls, nail-biters and a big win on the greens on Thursday afternoon with 16 bowlers taking to the greens. Phil Bayley and Tara Shaw were left wondering what might have been after being pipped at the post by Paul Doust and Glen Kearney in a nail-biting 16-15 finish. Just one little shot separated the two teams, with Paul and Glen doing just enough to snatch the victory! Another game that went right down to the wire saw John Markwart and Wayne Burton claim a hard-fought 20-18 win over James Johansson and Posso Jones. With only two shots in it, there was certainly no room for error. Billy Cowell and Laurie Crouch also had to work for their win, just scraping through with a 17-13 victory over Sue Smith and Viv Russell. Sue and Viv weren't going down without a fight, but Billy and Laurie managed to do enough to get across the finish line. Then there was Maynard and Al Hilder, who clearly didn't get the memo about keeping things close. The pair were in red-hot form, powering their way to a whopping 28-5 victory over Bobby Grant and Cherie Vincent. With a 23-shot margin, Maynard and Al certainly made their mark on the scoreboard and claimed the biggest win of the day. Winning rink of the day: Glen Kearney and Paul Doust. Losing Rink: James Johansson and Posso Jones. Jackpot winner: Paul Doust. Resting touchers: Billy Cowell and Wayne Burton. Sunday bowls - T & M Tyres Tournament heats up - one round to go. The competition is heating up, the pressure is building, and the finish line is in sight! Round Two of our popular T & M Tyres Sunday Morning Bowls Tournament certainly delivered plenty of action, with close finishes, big wins and even a surprise substitution thrown into the mix. With just one round remaining this Sunday, every shot counts as bowlers prepare for the final showdown. Gill Taylor and Gene Willding had to dig deep to secure their 13-11 victory over Chris Simmonds and Bobby Grant. With just two shots separating the teams, Gill and Gene did enough to get across the line and keep their tournament hopes rolling. There was no such nail-biting finish for Noel Hocking and Tony Dicks, who clearly meant business. The pair combined beautifully, putting on a dominant display to storm home with a whopping 29-8 victory over Laurie Hocking and Sue Smith. Juss Scifleet and John Cutler must have been holding their breath as they scraped home by the narrowest of margins, defeating Trish Todd and Al Hilder 12-11. Just one shot was the difference in this battle. Bernie Buckenhoffer and Tara Shaw teamed up for a solid performance, claiming a 23-18 win over Grub Reilly and John Kennedy. A five-shot victory gave Bernie and Tara something to smile about as they added another win to the day's results. Meanwhile, Joyce Gray and Al Phillips kept their cool to secure a 14-11 victory over John Simmonds and Gary Reilly. With only three shots in it, Joyce and Al made sure they did enough to finish on the winning side of the scoreboard. Visiting bowler Alan Haynes, enjoying some time on the Forbes greens, teamed up with Peter Tisdell to take on Darryl Burley and Scott McKellar. Unfortunately, Peter's troublesome shoulder had other ideas, and a replacement was needed. Enter Dan Tisdell. Called into action from the sidelines to take over for Peter. Alan and Dan combined to finish the job in style, claiming a convincing 19-10 victory. One Sunday left – who will come out on top? With two rounds now completed, the stage is set for an exciting final Sunday of the T & M Tyres Tournament. There is still plenty to play for, and with bowls being the unpredictable game we all enjoy, anything can happen when the final round gets underway! Winning rink: Alan Haynes and Peter Tisdell. Losing rink: Trish Todd and Al Hilder. Jackpot winner of the day: Bobby Grant. Resting touchers: Gary Reilly. We are mixing it up with the Sunday raffles and have now introduced vouchers to Flint Street Butchery, Central Butchery and fuel voucher to Loomzy’s Fish and Fix. This week it was Flint Street Butchery meat vouchers and the lucky winners were: Peter Cook, Lawrence Jackson, John and Chris Simmonds, Viv Russell and Trish Todd.