MANILLA’S Terry Austin and Scott Lamb were the only team to be undefeated as they took out the Tamworth City Easter Pairs on Saturday.
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The tournament went for two days, with every team playing six matches and the winners decided on matches won and shot margins.
At the end of the first day only three teams remained undefeated.
Perennial favourites Chris Herden and Dave Ferguson were way out in front and looked like winning the event for the fourth time in five years.
Kootingal’s Andrew Mion paired up with City’s Ian Jones to be the other undefeated side after Friday’s three matches.
After having a shot margin of 48 points overnight, Herden and Ferguson fell to Ben Golledge and Stuart Bayliss on Saturday by three shots.
Herden and Ferguson ended up coming second overall, while their conquerors took third.
Austin and Lamb just scraped through the first day, amazingly winning two matches by one shot.
“We played against some strong teams but just played well together,” Austin said.
“We just seemed to come up with the good bowls when we needed to.
“If I didn’t bowl well, then he (Lamb) would.”
On Saturday, and with the confidence of being undefeated, the pair made short work of the matches.
Austin and Lamb won all three matches by eight shots to take the Easter Pairs title for the first time.
Even more amazingly, this was Lamb’s first ever carnival.
He only started playing a year and a half ago when someone at the Manilla club needed an extra person to play.
Tamworth City secretary Greg Roese said the long weekend had seen some beautiful weather and great bowls.
The bowls weekend continued yesterday, with the Easter Singles starting up.
Most of the doubles players are backing up to go again in the singles.
Austin was hoping to do the double, although didn’t make the finals.
Herden and Ferguson were both in the quarter-finals last night after breezing through their individual pools.
Herden won the event last year for the fourth time, beating Ferguson in a close final, and is looking for number five.
He lined up against fellow South Tamworth bowler Les Goodchild in the quarter-final last night.
Ferguson played Bob Dally, and Coff Harbour’s Col Amos lined up against South’s Terry Cummins.
The other quarter-final is an all South affair, with Nathan Wise playing Ben Golledge.
The semi-finals and finals will be played today to wrap up the Easter weekend of bowls.
