Kyneton and Kyneton Golf bowlers staged a high-quality Central Highlands Bowls Division pairs championship final on Sunday.
And the 18-end final was well and truly alive until the very last bowl when Mark Smoljo (Kyneton) drove the jack into the ditch to collect two shots, with three needed to force an extra end against Kyneton Golf’s Glen Gascoyne and Graeme Edwards (s).
The morning semi-finals on the Lancefield green were won decisively: the in-form Kyneton pair accounted for Aaron Andrews and Peter Linehan (Lancefield) 27-13 and Ian Mathews and Smoljo won 20-11 against Kyneton’s Jim Cooper and Terry Kelly (s).
Edwards, who crossed to Kyneton Golf from Bendigo East this season, had already shown his class by becoming the CHBD singles titleholder; he is an absolute master of using a ‘stick’ (mechanical arm) to full advantage on a whole range of shots, and attributes his consistency to a concerted practise regime.
Gascoyne is one of the few specialist leaders in the CHBD and both are hoping for a Kyneton Golf pennant this season.
The final was a see-saw affair, with the Golf duo leading 10-4 before Mathews and Smoljo fought back with some precision bowls to lead 15-13, and holding three shots.
What proved to be a virtual match winner was Gaycoyne’s yard on draw shot that pushed a toucher onto the jack, which rolled into the perfect spot, and with Edwards drawing another, it was four shots to the Kyneton pairing.
On the final end Smojlo’s drive was accurate, but a dead end was required, not two shots.
CHBD president Ian Ball commended the finalists on some awesome bowling, praised the CHBD match committee and Lancefield Bowling Club for providing the venue in top order, and wished Gaycoyne and Edwards well at regional level in the state event.
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS
The CHBD women’s pairs champions were decided on a three-game round-robin format, with the result in the balance right to the end of the third and final round.
The composite pairing of Rhonda Kellaart (Gisborne) and Sue Holmes (Lancefield) won the title with two wins and one loss, the same as Diggers Rest’s Jacqui Ryan and Trish Odgers, who won their first two matches but were then totally outplayed 34-4 by Kyneton’s Denise Knight and Christine Plowman, who had a loss and a tie to their credit beforehand.
Kellaart and Holmes managed to defeat Gisborne’s Louise Ball and Flo Roche 16-12 in the final game, therefore becoming champions with a plus nine shots tally.
The winners have had their share of success this season; Louise Ball won the final of Gisborne’s women’s singles by defeating Teresa Wylie 25-14 last week.
And Sue Holmes, Lancefield club president and CHBD executive member, teamed up Louise to take out the Over 60s CHBD title earlier this month.
The CHBD men’s Overs 60s winners are Lancefield’s Gary Dickenson and Michael Linehan (s).
They won their semi-final against Lloyd Dyamond and Mick Bermingham 16-12 before accounting for Gisborne’s Ian Ball and Kevin Jarred 18-8 in the final.
The Ball – Jarred duo earlier caused a big upset by eliminating Terry Kelly and Mark Smoljo (s) 15-13 in a semi-final.
