SIXTEEN lawn bowlers turned up for some lightning quick and deadly Zone 3 Rookie Pairs at Tamworth City Bowling Club on Saturday.
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Organisers Keith Stevenson and Mick Emery had expected a two-day tournament but cut it back to one when they had just the eight teams enter.
West Tamworth’s Carl Schroeder and Matthew Ray were the eventual winners, beating South Tamworth’s Adam Shields and Brett Preston 20-9 in Saturday afternoon’s final.
The Rookie event was a three-bowl pairs played over 12 ends.
“Herdo (club greenkeeper Chris Herden) has stitched them up,” Emery said on Saturday afternoon.
“They are lightning-fast greens.”
“It is pretty quick out there,” Herden confessed.
“Some of the teams are just starting to come to grips with the speed,” Emery said.
“After this morning’s session we haven’t had one two game winner.”
The eight teams were split into two sections of four.
Walcha’s Alex Regent and Ryan Goodwin played West Tamworth’s Ray and Schroeder, Tamworth City’s Norm Dezius and Garrett Rooney and South Tamworth’s Brad Hogan and Jeremy Orman while Inverell’s John Edwards and Ian Jacobs took on Tamworth City’s Simon Barhoush and Rod Hartigan, Kootingal’s Bruce Meiforth and Terry Johnson and South Tamworth greenkeeper Shields and Preston.
The final became a playoff between the West and South pairs with, South Tamworth’s Shields and Preston kicking out to a 7-2 lead and then a 9-5 advantage after seven of the 12 ends.
However they didn’t win an end after that as Schroeder and Ray roared back with two two’s and then a big four .
“It was a pretty good comeback,” Emery said.
“They played some good bowls for rookies.
“It was also good to see a few spectators turn up and all the other players stayed on to watch too.
“In the end Brett and Adam were playing catch-up while Matt and Carl found their range.”
Ray and Schroeder now go to Raymond Terrace to play the State Rookie Playoffs in November.
While Tamworth City was the venue for the Zone 3 Rookies, its talented duo, Sandy Jones and Steve Booby, won the CNDBA Mixed Pairs at Quirindi Bowling Club on Sunday.
Jones is president of the ladies and Booby the men’s president at City and the two combined brilliantly to beat Quirindi’s Kerry and Robert Sweep 24-8 in Sunday’s final.
On the Saturday the City pair had accounted for Kay Brennan-Lee and Willy Lee 20-16, and West Tamworth’s Marie and Dave Mackey 31-5.
Kerry and Robert Sweep had won their Saturday games 26-15 (Kay and Neville Ryman) and 23-22 (Winsome Hills and Don Porter).
