Wind, close calls and finals fever on the bowling greens

BOWLS It was a case of hold onto your hats and hang onto your bowls as players battled testing, blustery conditions in Saturday's Club Championship semi-finals! With the wind playing havoc and the rain clouds threatening, our bowlers managed to dodge the showers and serve up some fantastic bowls, with two thrilling contests deciding who would advance to the big dance! A & B PAIRS SEMI-FINAL Cherie Vincent and Spro Asimus booked their ticket to the A & B Pairs Final with a 17–9 victory over Shayne Staines and Viv Russell, but don't let that scoreline fool you - this was a much tighter battle than the final numbers suggest! Cherie and Spro came out firing, establishing a handy 9–3 lead after nine ends. Shayne and Viv weren't about to roll over, continuing to apply pressure and making their opponents work for every shot. By the 12th end, Cherie and Spro had edged ahead 12–5, but the battle was far from over. Shayne and Viv kept fighting, with the score reaching 16–9 after 16 ends. Now the stage is set for a cracking final, with Cherie and Spro taking on Tara Shaw and Bert Bayley for the A & B Pairs Championship title. A & B Pairs Semi-finalists Shayne Staines, Viv Russell, Spro Asimus and Cherie Vincent. MAJOR FOURS SEMI-FINAL If spectators were looking for a nail-biter, the Major Fours semi-final certainly delivered! With Jeff Nicholson stepping in as substitute lead for Greg Gunn, he joined Shayne Staines, Ian Hodges and skip Bert Bayley to take on the formidable combination of Brett Davenport, Dan Tisdell, Christian West and Robert Dukes. Team Bayley looked to have things under control early, building an impressive 13–5 lead at the halfway mark. But as we all know, eight shots in bowls is never a comfortable cushion! Team Dukes weren't going down without a fight, digging deep and clawing their way back into contention. With the wind continuing to test every delivery, the pressure was well and truly on as the margin tightened. When the dust finally settled, Team Bayley had done just enough to hold off the determined challengers, claiming a hard-fought 20–17 victory. The win now sets up a blockbuster Major Fours final, with Bert Bayley, Shayne Staines, Ian Hodges and Greg Gunn's team taking on the combination of Jax Murphy, Spro Asimus, Scott Andrews and Mitch Andrews. With plenty of talent, experience and determination on both sides, this final has all the ingredients of an absolute ripper! SOCIAL BOWLS Wednesday – A couple of ‘ol cagey fighters in Bill Scott and Kerry Dunstan were winners last week with a nail-biting 19-18 win in 20 ends over Neil Riley and Laurie Crouch. As expected the card showed little between the pairs all game, 5-all after four and 14-all at the end of 13. The ‘boys’ had to dig deep winning the last three ends 5-1. It was easier for a couple mates from ‘way back’ with Eddie Gould leading for John ‘Slippery’ Ward who made a rare appearance to show class winning 22-7 in 18 over Robyn Mattiske and Noel Jolliffe who is hoping his beloved Dragons don’t suffer the same fate in 2027. The last 11 ends went which way when it was 5-7? Therese Davis and Alf Davies enjoyed a close 20-13 win in 18 over Cheryl Hodges who at one stage went to the sideline for inspiration leading for John Gorton. But they did have their chances, 6-all at eight before only one behind, 14-13 prior to the two last ends. There’s no stopping the Bayley family as Sue (Smith) led for brother Phil winning 27-9 in 20 over Dean Jeffery and John Kennedy. After 4-all at four the Bayley pair went up a gear to lead 14-4 after nine then 26-5 at 17 and it ‘all over Red Rover’. Irene Riley and Peter Barnes also enjoyed the morning out winning 20-15 in 20 over Gail McKay and Tim Everest with scores equal on a couple of occasions, 3-all at four, 4-all at six, 10-all at 11, 13-all at 16 before 7-2 on the run home. Plenty of banter in the last and not necessarily the opposition as Peter Mackay and skip Paul Doust, who did exactly that, ‘dousting’ several ends including one from five against to three up. But that not stop Barry Shine and Lyall Strudwick making a game of it, 7-all after nine, 8-all after 11 before trailing 15-10 after 18 of 20. The ‘Singing Sao’ showed his class to win the last two to ends with a solid five. In-club winners Tim Everest and Cheryl Hodges. Thursday - Big scores and plenty of action on the greens with 18 enthusiastic bowlers taking to the greens at Forbes Bowling Club, there was no shortage of action, friendly rivalry and some impressive scorelines! Paul Doust and Viv Russell proved a tough combination to beat, putting together a solid performance against Bobby Grant and Scooter Andrews. Paul and Viv kept the scoreboard ticking over, cruising home with a convincing 24–13 victory. Phil Bayley and Scott McKellar certainly weren't mucking around! The pair had their sights firmly set on the scoreboard and gave Eddie Gould and Al Hilder very little breathing room, piling on the shots to record a whopping 39–9 victory! Tim Everest and Al Phillips also had their winning hats on, proving too strong for Wayne Burton and the Jacko/Dick Sharkey combination. Tim and Al kept things rolling their way, claiming a comfortable 23–12 win. Despite their best efforts, Wayne and the Sharkey duo couldn't quite turn the tide. The afternoon's triples clash saw Tara Shaw, Laurie Crouch and Spro Asimus turn on the style against Ange Dwyer, Lyn Simmonds and Posso Jones. Tara, Laurie and Spro were firing on all cylinders. Ange, Lyn and Posso battled away, but there was simply no stopping the opposition, who stormed home with an impressive 32–6 victory. Resting toucher: Wayne Burton. Winning Rink: Paul Doust and Viv Russell. Losing rink: Wayne Burton and Jacko/Dick Sharkey. Jackpot winner: Tara Shaw. Sunday - After Mother Nature gave our bowlers a bit of a workout the previous day, Sunday delivered much kinder bowling conditions. With the wind easing and the weather playing nicely, it was the perfect opportunity to roll a few bowls, enjoy some friendly rivalry and hopefully finish on the winning side of the scoreboard! Kelly Stringer and John Cutler made the most of the improved conditions, combining beautifully to claim a convincing 20–10 victory over Noel Hocking and George Falvey. Kelly and John certainly had their winning hats on, doubling their opponents' score and leaving Noel and George searching for a few extra shots. Bobby Grant and Al Phillips were another combination who meant business! Taking on Chris Simmonds and Jax Murphy, Bobby and Al proved too strong, keeping their opposition's scoring opportunities to a minimum and cruising home with a solid 14–6 win. Chris and Jax gave it their best shot, but the scoreboard wasn't feeling particularly generous. Paul Doust and Pat O'Neill were also in fine form, chalking up an impressive 21–11 victory over Eddie Gould and John Kennedy. Paul and Pat found their rhythm and kept the pressure on, leaving Eddie and John with plenty of work to do. Aaron Evans and Lyall Strudwick teamed up to take on Bernie Buckenhoffer and Juss Scifleet in another entertaining contest. Aaron and Lyall put together a strong performance to secure a 16–9 victory. Bernie and Juss battled away, but the winning combination had the answers when it counted. The closest battle of the day belonged to Grub Reilly and Viv Russell, who had their hands full against Gill Taylor and Terry Murphy. With only three shots separating the teams at the finish, there was certainly no room for complacency. Grub and Viv managed to do just enough to sneak home with a hard-fought 13–10 victory. A great contest that kept everyone on their toes! Rounding out the day's action, John Simmonds and Billy Cowell joined forces to take on Ron Thurlow and Sue White. John and Billy proved a handy combination, keeping the scoreboard ticking over to claim a well-earned 18–10 win. Ron and Sue put up a fight, but John and Billy weren't about to let this one slip through their fingers! Resting touchers: Viv Russell and Grub Reilly. Raspberry: John Simmonds. Winning rink: Billy Cowell and John Simmonds. Losing rink: Chris Simmonds and Jax Murphy. Jackpot winner: Jax Murphy. Raffle winners: Lyall Strudwick, Peter Cook, Billy Cowell, Viv Russell and Mitch Andrews.