South’s Open Men’s side hits top form at right time in Launceston

ROUNDS 3 and 4 of Bowls Tasmania’s Open Men’s and Women’s State Wide Challenge were played at the North Launceston Bowls Club on Sunday with all games reduced from 18 to 15 ends due to the weather.

A highlight of the day’s play was the improved performance of South’s Open Men’s side, off to a quick start in the morning round against North2, which resulted in an all rinks win for the South, 47-20. Peter Bannister’s rink of Luke Turner (lead), Grant Wakefield and Jack Ellis was the standout with an 18 shot win, 22-4, with good support from Keghan Booth and his team of Ryan Guy, Brad Carver and Josh Lording, 14-9, and Will Coad and his team of Nathan Dinning, Mitch Banks and Nic Courto winning, 11-7.

In the afternoon game against North1, the South would have completed a clean sweep except for some exceptional bowling from North skip Mark Strochnetter, who claimed a rink win in his defeat of Peter Bannister, 16-11. Will Coad, 18-6, and Keghan Booth’s close 2 shot win, 17-15, were the South’s winning skips in the 9 shot win, 46-37.

South’s Women’s side recorded a 2 rink, 54-34, win against North2 in the morning round. Leading the way was Maddie Johnson’s rink of Michelle Moate, Barb Liddington, and Denise Tanner defeating Margaret Campbell, 27-12.

Crystal Brooks and her team of Peta Barnett, Joy Voss and Jenny Suttie

won, 18-9, against Bev Huett, and Lauren Banks, with Miley Sutton, Nadine Seabourne and Peri Buckley lost 9-13.

South’s Women suffered a devastating 1 shot loss in the afternoon, 38-39 to North1, winning on 1 rink. This match turned into a nailbiter with the result coming down to the last bowl on Crystal Brooks’s rink. Scores were level across the board with one end to play, and with North’s skip, Mikayla Baker, holding one shot, decided not to play her last bowl, with Crystal Brooks winning the game, 20-13, but the South losing overall. Maddie Johnson’s rink lost a close tussle with North1’s Courtney Hobbs, 10-12, and Lauren Banks lost to Rae Simpson, 8-14.

North West’s Men’s side had two wins, 40-27, in the morning against North1, and 51- 21, in the afternoon against North2. North West’s Women lost 35-39 to North1 in the morning, and in the afternoon drew with North2 37-all, but won on 2 rinks to take the points, 7-5.