Border senior men in rare medal win

THE recently completed annual inter-district bowls tournament staged in Pietermaritzburg saw the Border senior men secure a rare medal for Border.

Competing against 19 other provinces, Border finished second in their section of 10 and third overall out of 20 teams to earn a bronze medal.

Border were represented by Bevis Richardson, Mike Underwood (skips), Naas Vermaak and Alan Stephenson (thirds), Jackie Wainright and Denny Richardson (seconds) plus Rob Conway and Tony Durrheim (leads).

Finishing above more fancied districts such as Port Natal, Johannesburg and Gauteng North, Border was the only district to inflict a defeat on section winners Sables during sectional play.

They beat them 8-5 on points and 47-40 on shots.

Feedback from some of the older bowlers on the Border suggests that this may be the first time ever that a Border senior bowls team has won a medal at the inter-districts – an incredible achievement considering the fierce opposition.

To round off a successful week Border manager, llan Freeman, was called off the bank to play for Western Province in the final as one of their players took ill.

Freeman played lead with distinction to help Western province beat Sables 12-1 on points and 46-26 on shots to win gold.

While the Border senior men excelled the Border senior women disappointed by coming last in their section as did the Border B men.

However there were smiles allround with the Border B women finishing third and the Border Open women finishing a creditable fifth in their respective sections. — DDC