Open Men’s Statewide Challenge Report
OPEN STATEWIDE CHALLENGE – ROUND 2 21 FEBRUARY 2021
Reports by David Heron BN Open Selector & Madge Strochnetter BN Women’s Bowls Director.
48 men & women from the Bowls North region took to the free running greens at North Launceston for Round 2 of Bowls Tasmania Open Statewide Challenge Series that was a pleasure for the players to play on.
MEN’S RESULTS:
MORNING ROUND:
Our number 1 side performed very solidly to record pleasing win against an exceptionally good North West side. WE started well which has been a recent issue for us and we maintained a good margin throughout the match to always be in control. The even contribution from all our players meant that the pressure was always on our opposition.
Our number 2 side provided the morning shock with a stunning win over the Southern side who was on the top of the table after Round 1 matches in Burnie. Gene’s Ayton rink won 5 of the last 6 ends to give our other rinks an opportunity to pull off an upset. We were proud to see so many players put their hand up to challenge the best player’s in the state and pull off a huge upset.
North 1 55 defeated North West 42
- J Appleyard 14 lt T Douce 21
- M Sims 20 def M Nitz 13
- M Strochnetter 21 def T Male 8
North 2 48 defeated South 47
- G Ayton 8 lt P Bannister 21
- A Gurr 22 def W Coad 11
- K Walker 18 def N Courto 15
AFTERNOON ROUND:
Our number 1 side got off to another great start leading by 15 early before the inevitable Southern challenge came. They evened the scores up before we rallied to record another solid win.
Mark Strochnetter and Michael Sims’s rink both had 2 top wins for the day and Josh Appleyard’s rink won their second game and would have gained a lot from the day.
Our number 2 side performed well against the North West side. There was never more than 10 shots margin in the game, but we could not string together the ends to get closer on the score board. The Bowls North Open selectors were immensely proud of the efforts of this side with four debutants players and other players being given the opportunity to see how they matched up against the best from other regions. Kane Walker’s won both games and a number of players produced encouraging performances that indicated they can play at this level.
North 1 54 defeated South 44
- J Appleyard 19 def P Bannister 15
- M Sims 16 def N Courto 15
- M Strochnetter 19 def W Coad 14
North 2 42 lt North West 53
- G Ayton 15 lt T Douce 19
- A Gurr 11 lt M Nitz 20
- K Walker 16 def T Male 14
WOMEN’S
The Ladies 1 Northern team had a very satisfying day with 2 rink wins and overall, in both the morning games against the North West Coast team, and again in the afternoon against the Southern team, giving them a total of 20 from a possible 24 points. They played extremely well as a team in very warm summery conditions at North Launceston Bowls Club.
The Northern number 2 side had some tight games against the Southern side in the morning with one rink managing to secure a draw. This was a great effort displayed by all the players who participated.
In the afternoon against the North West Coast, one rink had a delightful 20 shot win which gave them the overall points. The Bowls North 2 side had a nice mixture of experienced players, mixed with youth to give a creditable performance on the day.
A strong overall performance by all 24 players produced a total of 29 points for the North on the day.
I am sure all our Northern bowlers were feeling proud of our ladies with represented them.
RESULTS MORNING ROUND:
North 1 52 def North West 44
- Saunders 21 def Moore 14
- Ayton 21 def Gibson 14
- Hobbs 16 lt Little 17
North 2 42 lt South 55
- Monson 13 lt Triffitt 19
- Campbell 11 lt Suttie 18
- Fletcher 18 dw Voss 18
AFTERNOON ROUND:
North 1 64 def South 54
- Saunders 19 def Triffitt
- Ayton 26 def Voss 16
- Hobbs 19 lt Suttie 24
North 2 62 def North West 53
- Monson 18 lt Moore 20
- Campbell 29 def Little 9
- Fletcher 15 lt Gibson 24