Second for Eastern Areas bowlers

After four days and six matches of bowls, it came down to a measure on the last end to determine the winner of the 45th annual inter sub-district bowls tournament, played last weekend at the Kowie Bowling Club in Port Alfred.

Going into the last morning’s play the three sides from Eastern Areas were lying in first place, separated from Frontier and East London by a better shot profit.

On the final morning, the first Eastern Areas team skippered by David Freeme won their game, followed by Clive Bartlett’s team also winning.

Trevor Frost’s team was one shot up playing the last end, when the opposing skip drew a shot near the jack with his last (and the very last) bowl of the game.

The measure was too close to call by the players so the umpire was called.

His decision went against the Eastern Areas team and so they ended up peeling the match (i.e draw).

That decision proved to be critical during prize-giving, as the Frontier side had won all three of their matches that morning and thus leapfrogged Eastern Areas into first place.

East London and Districts followed Eastern Areas in third, with Port Elizabeth and Districts, playing in the tournament for the first time after missing several years, came in fourth.

In the individual team’s competition David Feeme and his team of Hein Strombeck, Jacques Krige and Mario Agnew had a fantastic tournament.

Going into the last morning’s play they were lying fourth and had to play Nap Erasmus’s team from Midlands, who had had won four games and peeled one game to top table.

David and his team played some great bowls though and beat them by 26 – 14, taking top honours in the team rankings.

The tournament will be hosted by Frontier at the Queenstown bowling club next year.