2011 The Year In Review: Pennant Report Card

2011 was an interesting year in the world of bowls on the Mid North Coast. Today we'll take a look at the year that was, starting with the Pennant season

Grades One and Two Combined.

Coffs Ex Services.
Division: 2
Result: Last
Comments: For a club that contains the champions Kent Price and Dallas Cole, the season was indeed disappointing, however it should be noted that the afore mentioned played two matches between them for the season. Comments made by some of the team members during the season suggest being relegated wasn't such a bad thing for the club, so their last place shouldn't be that surprising. With rumours of Rod Hiscock returning and a chance of Price and Cole both being available,  heaven help their opponents in Grade three in 2012!
Grade: D-

Overall Coffs had three grades in 2011, and had their best success in Grade Six, taking out the zone flag.

Park Beach One:
Division: One
Result: Zone Champions
Comments: The team had five changes to the starting team from the 2010 winning side and were using the season as a chance to start blooding some up and comers. The side suffered just one loss on their way to the District title, before claiming a dramatic one shot win over the higher rated Westport in the Zone final.
Grade: A

Park Beach Two:
Division: Two:
Result: Third overall, Second in grade two.
Comments: On paper this team was expected to dominate the second grade, but inconsistency cost the team, with a number of matches lost on the back of one rink. In saying this, the team was in the hunt right up until the last round and will be stronger for the season.
Grade: B-

Overall Park Beach had five grades but only managed the one flag despite being very confident, particularly in grades two and three. Looking to improve in 2012.

Sawtell:
Division: Two
Result: District Champions
Comments: Always competitive, Sawtell's top grade has a history of not quite getting over the line. They showed a new resolve early in the season with some impressive victories, and unlike previous seasons, maintained their form for the full season. The team fully deserved the opportunity to go to state, and if there was any disappointment it was the result of the zone final. Regardless the team will be a force in 2012 when they challenge for the first grade flag.
Grade: A

Overall Sawtell entered five grades this season and proved to be one of the more successful clubs taking out the second and fourth grade flags. Early indications are they will be even stronger across all grades next season.

Urunga:
Division: Two
Result: Fifth Overall, third in Grade Two.
Comments: The 2010 Grade Three champions were always going to have a tough year, and were odds on to be relegated at the end of this season, however the side performed well, and avoided the wooden spoon. The side has lost two of its younger first graders for next season so wil again have a battle on their hands but the side has proven themselves and deserves to play in the combined first and second grade.
Grade: C+

With three grades entered, Urunga found the going tough in all divisions contested. Can only improve next season.

West Coffs
Division: One
Result: Fourth overall, second in Grade One
Comments: The big disappointments of the season, the side started the season with genuine hopes of breaking Park Beach's stranglehold on the first grade flag. However despite a victory over their major rivals, the side was virtually out of contention after round six. It was difficult to pinpoint what went wrong for the side. The players selected were certainly of high enough quality, but as a unit they just couldn't seem to light it up as they had the season before. The fourth place only a disppointment based on the high expectations held for the team. They will do better in 2012.
Grade: C

Of the three sides entered, the best performed for the club were the grade six side, who finished second to zone champions Coffs. Like Urunga, 2012 should see better results.

All Grades:

Bellingen:
Grades Contested: One
Best Result: Grade Five Zone Champions
Comments: With only the one grade the side was always going to be competitive. The team proved very strong and battled their way to the state finals. A force to be reckoned with in grade four in 2012.

Bowraville:
Grades Contested: Two
Best Result: Grade Five section winners - beaten in final by Bellingen.
Comments: For a small club, Bowraville continues to punch above their weight and perform well.

Macksville:
Grades Contested: Two
Best Result: Grade Five - beaten on a countback for the section by Bellingen.
Comments: A force in the lower grades, the club will be disappointed with this result. An early tip to win Grade Five next season.

Nambucca Heads:
Grades Contested: Four
Best Result: Grade Three - Zone champions, Grade Seven - District champions.
Comments: The strongest of the southern clubs, Nambucca enjoyed a good season, the highlight being the victory over the highly rated Kew in the zone final in grade three. The big question will be can the club emulate their success in 2012....

North Beach:
Grades Contested: One
Best Result: Grade Six finished fifth.
Comments: It's hard to imagine that only a few short years ago this club was a force in the first grade! The side was competitive this season, but needed probably two more victories to give themselves a real chance. Like many others, they will aim higher in 2012.

Scotts Head:
Grades Contested: One
Best Result: Grade Four - second.
Comments: But for one point!! Scotts Head would have claimed the district flag with just one more point, but alas it was not to be. Bryan Cullen has certainly made a difference to the club and will no doubt have his sights set on taking out the flag in 2012.

Stuarts Point:
Grades Contested: One
Best Result: The team ran third in their section in Grade Five.
Comments: For a team that played Second Grade only twelve months ago, the side has certainly lost its lustre. Should the young guns, the King and Jeffery brothers play in 2012 the team should be strong enough to take out the zone flag in this grade as they were sorely missed this year.

Woolgoolga:
Grades Contested: Four
Best Result: Grade Seven finished second, only two points off first place.
Comments: Close in every grade, the end results would have to be frustrating for the club with three second places and a third. The club has lost a few experienced players for next season but will still be more than capable of improving on this seasons standings.

Til Next Time....

Chippy

Club Championships...last for 2011.

Lucky last results of club championships on the Mid North Coast for 2011!

Firstly a few results from Coffs Ex Services Club...

Paul Box ran into some form late in the year capturing two titles.
The Minor Singles proved to be a battle royale, with Box defeating Geoff Duffey 31-30 in a match that could have gone either way. Box reached the final by defeating P Rambow whilst Duffey overcame Geoff Peel 31-25 to reach his first final.
Box also led his team to victory in the final of the Minor Triples with a victory over Frank Tarman's side 21-17 in the decider. Box's team dominated their semi final against the trio skippered by Andrew Newick to record a 29-14 success. Tarman's crew found their way to the final courtesy of a 22-17 win over A Thompson's side.
Haydn Marriott and Grant Blom won a nailbiting Major/Minor Pairs final against Andrew Newick and Col Thompson 20-19.
In the Mixed Pairs decider Brian Saville and J Skedden were victorious against Glen Cunningham and partner (score not available).

Meanwhile, the last event for the year at Park Beach, being the Club Triples, was taken out by Peter Baehnk, John Eding, and Bernie Clay who defeated the heavily favoured Wayne Rowbottom (in his last club championship at Park Beach), Terry Kadwell and Rod Farmer.
Farmer had been in good form, having just captured the Mixed Fours title with Eileen & Quinton Dalrymple, and ex junior star, Kenita Monks. In the final they defeated D Jones, Allan Bebb, Janiece Schiemer and John Bennett.
And the final result for 2011 is the Mixed Pairs which was taken out by Marie Owen and Barry Griffiths who were successful in the final against Peg & Stan Milham.

Thats the last results for the year, I'll endeavor to do a year in review before christmas....

Cheers,

Chippy

Club Championship update

Thanks to Ken Lowry for providing the following results for West Coffs. Apologies for the delay in getting these results online Ken, but better late than never mate :-)

Congratulations to Barry Blight, Laurie Miles and Stuart Hartigan who claimed the Club Triples championship with a win in the final against Peter Newman, Col Amos and Cameron Wills (score not available).
Congratulations also to the new West Coffs Mixed Pairs champions, being Geoff and Robyn Walsh, who took the title with a 24-21 victory over Rob and Julie Alford.
Barry Blight and Rob Alford also recently contested another club final, this time they were opponents in the Minor Singles championship. Barry continued his good form, taking out the final with a convincing 31-13 victory.

Again thanks to Ken for his support, if only more clubs had members like Ken our sport would be going ahead in leaps and bounds (and I would have a lot more to report!). If you would like to see your clubs results published within this blog please talk to your bowls organiser or publicity officer, they will have no problems getting in contact with me I assure you!

Til Next time...

Chippy

State Championships Wrap

No joy for our zone in the state championships with the Big Guns saluting in each discipline.
State Fours saw the Premier League side of Alex Lee, Ashley Mitchell, Cameron Curtis and Carl Healey of Roselands, defeat St Johns Park's Trent Craigie, Lee Such, Peter Foster and Mark Berghoffer 20-14 in a tight match. Westport's entry were beaten by a shot in the opening round.
The Roselands trio of Lee, Curtis and Healey made it a double when they continued their unbeaten run in the State Triples, claiming the final against Ettalong's Harley McDonald, John Roberts and Aron Sheriff 26-17. The winning side put out our zone's hope in the quarter final, being Park Beach's John Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley. The Parky side can take solace in the knowledge that they got closer to the Roselands side than any other in the event.
Aron Sheriff contested his second final in the State Pairs when he teamed with Tony Laguzza, however they would play bridesmaids to the Cabramatta Duo, Michael Clarke and David Holt, who won the final 19-10. Westport's Peter Taylor and Shane Globits reached the quarters before bowing out at the hands of the Cabramatta team.
Aron Sheriff played his third consecutive final of the state championships when he reached the State Singles decider against Oak Flats bowler Eric Johannes. He would not be denied again and claimed his maiden state singles with a 31-23 victory. Park Beach's Cory Daley was narrowly defeated in the opening round.

Although no trophies have made their way back up the coast the zone fourteen representatives did themselves proud against what was possibly the strongest fields assembled in a number of years acros all four events.

Cheers,

Chippy

State Championships - Soldiers Point

Other than a State Pennant Flag, the pinnacle for every bowler is a state title. Starting Saturday 22nd October at Soldiers Point, the best performed players in the state will compete across four discipines hoping to take home an elusive state crown.
Australia's top ranked player Aron Sheriff has shown his class by being the only player to qualify in all four events, and will deservedly be a favourite in all four tournaments.
Fellow Aussie rep Mark Berghoffer has won an impressive three zone titles as has 2011 state bowler of the year Ray Pearse, former world champion Cameron Curtis and Roselands team mate Carl Healey, and Young bowler David Quigley.
A number of others have won two events, including name players Jay Porter, Ben and Nick Golledge, Chris Herden, Shane Globits, Peter Taylor, James Cook, Lee Such, John Roberts and Sam Laguzza, ensuring the finals will be hotly contested.

State Fours
First event of the championships will be the state fours. Zone Fourteen has tatsed success twice in recnt years in this event, Kemspey Heights claiming the title in 2008, and Westports Jeff Fathers, Greg Brimms, Peter Taylor and Shane Globits being the reigning champions. The westport side minus Jeff fathers is back to defend their title, with former Aussie rep Bryce Stewart filling the void of Fathers. Last years runners up have also returned from the South Tamworth Club skippered by Nick Golledge.
Jay Porter, Matt Sargeant, Mark Berghoffer, Aron Sheriff and Cameron Curtis are all skippering solid teams and will be hard to beat. Match of the round Saturday morning will most likely be the clash between Golledge's side and Ray Pearse's team.
My Semi Final predictions are: (skips only) Jay Porter Vs Shane Globits, and Nick Golledge Vs Aron Sheriff. Title to go to Jay Porter.

State Triples
Again a number of big guns will be competing, such as Sheriff, Berghoffer, Pearse, Porter, Curtis, Jeremy Henry, Shannon White and Steven Rawlings. Zone 14 hopes are pinned on Park Beach's Johnny Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley.
Semi Final predictions are: Shannon White Vs Ray Pearse, and Carl Healey Vs Jeremy Henry. Pearse to take the title.

State Pairs
Last years champions from Nyngan. John Wynne and Adam Lee return also with hopes of defending their crown, however again they face some very stiff opposition, not least of all from Westports Peter Taylor and Shane Globits. Sheriff has teamed with ex state rep Tony Laguzza and will be a orce to be reckoned with.
Best match up of round one appears to be Cameron Curtis & Carl Healey Vs Laguzza and Sheriff.
Allan Nunn & Lee Stinson Vs Troy Somerville & Tom Ellem, and Aaron Appleby & Nathan Dawson Vs Ben & Nick Golledge. Somerville & Ellem to add to their list of state titles..

State Singles
The blue ribbon event has, as expected drawn a field of champions to compete for the most sought after title in NSW. Cory Daley will ably represent Zone Fourteen and will go in with the knowledge that he has taken out this event before in 2008. His nemesis in the final that year Aron Sheriff will enter the event as favourite, closely followed by reigning champion Ray Pearse, South African international Eric Johannes, and in form Aussie star Mark Berghoffer.
Round one clashes of note include former QLD open winner Ashley Klose Vs Aussie Legend Sam Laguzza, and Daley Vs NSW under 25 star Chris Herden.
Semi Predictions: Berghoffer Vs Zel Trbara, & Johannes Vs Herden. Johannes to take out the title.

Please feel free to advise your predictions through the comments feature!

All the best to all involved..

Til Next Time,

Chippy

State Inter Zone, C/CC Zone Finals and State Senior championships...

It's been a busy few weeks for MNC bowlers as the season moves on to zone and state championships...

We'll start with the Zone C/CC Singles and Pairs results.

Park Beach's John Bain took just over ninety minutes to sew up his second zone title for the year when he outclassed Trevor Gittoes 31-11 in the singles. John was dominant from start to finish and will now compete at the state championships in November.
Macksville's father and son combination Matthew and Paul Ward were right in the match at the halfway mark against their opposition from Kew in the Pairs. Scores were locked at 13-13 before Kew skipper Alan Wares pulled away to record a win. (final score not known)

State Senior Championships - Hosted by Yamba

Our District was well represented at this event, with Phil Toy from Park beach the singles representative and Sawtell's Noel Stahlut and Paul Bartholomew competing in the pairs.
Phil was first up and faced a tough first round assignment against reigning state champion in this event, being Crawford Linton. Phil kept Crawford honest but could not get on top, eventually going down 31-22.
The Sawtell boys fared a little better in the pairs, making short work of their opening round and quarter final opponents. The duo however ran into a red hot combination from St Mary's in the semi final, narrowly missing a place in the final. The score being 27-23. Still a marvellous effort to reach the final four sides state wide!!
Phil, Noel and Paul should be proud of their performances and I'm sure they will be back next year looking to go a little further in each event respectively.

State Inter Zone Championships - Hosted by Nelson Bay

Five MNC bowlers were selected to represent the Zone Fourteen 16 man side at these championships, with a further two selected as reserves. Park Beach's Steve Plumb, Ric Southam and Cory Daley were joined by West Coffs Corey Wedlock and Marty Wilson. Sawtell's Paul Bartholomew and Stuarts Point's Andy King were the reserves, Andy actually playing in round one.

The side started their campaign well, trouncing Zone Four (Mid Western) 93-69 and looked on track to securing a second victory in their round two clash with the formidable Zone Ten (Sydney North West) when the unthinkable happened the team squandering a five shot lead on the last end, dropping a six to lose 70-71.
The team did well to regroup and to attempt to salvage the section playing against Zone Six (Hunter Manning) in round three. The side rallied late to get themselves within two shots with two ends remaining however the bird just wasn't on their shoulders, eventually losing the match 75-83.

The side can hold it's head high in the knowledge that they can clearly compete with the big guns, and with a number of rookies and young talent in the side the Zone will only be stronger next year. Of the four rookies in the side, the standout performance was that of Corey Wedlock who led like an old pro against some very experienced opponents.

That's all for now, but with a number of tournaments approaching and clubs finalising their championships I will endeavor to post again shortly..

Cheers!

Chippy

August continued and State Reserve Championships

August saw plenty of rain but surprisingly the bowls wasn't overly affected.

The MNC C/CC Pairs has reached the final with Woolgoolga's Dave Valentine and Shayne Dodd looking to bag the district pairs and c/cc pairs double crown after a comfortable semi final win over Bellingen's M Reimer and Chris Habgood 21-5.
Their opponents in the decider will be Macksville's M and Paul Ward who had a slightly harder time of it in their semi final, eventually besting Park Beach's John Eding and Terry Kadwell 24-18.
No date appears to be set yet for the final, although it is expected to be played at West Coffs...

Woolgoolga's Hans Katala has had a successful opening day at the NSW State Reserve Singles championships, being hosted at Port City.
Hans received a forfeit in the round of sixteen and then powered through to the last four in NSW with a narrow 31-25 victory against Everglades player Luke McBeatty.
Hans will play Alder Park's Peter Burgess in the morning for a place in the state final!
Best of luck Hans!!!!!
Full results can be found on the RNSWBA website for this event and photo's on the Port City Bowls club's bowls blog, which should also have results.

Cheers,

Chippy

August Happenings...

August has been a big month so far, and still has plenty of bowls action to come in the remaining weekends of the month.

We'll start with the Under 18's, where four of the Mid North Coasts finest young guns have travelled to Forster to represent Zone Fourteen in the annual Seven a Side event.
Corey Wedlock, Ben Watson, Josh Forbes and Josh Hicks performed admirably, finishing fifth out of the sixteen zones. The event is unique in that Singles, Triples and Pairs are all competed in during each match. Zone champion Josh Forbes was the best performed over the five matches played with pairs team mate Jai Whelan, the duo claiming four wins and a draw.

The best in the open's also represented the Zone in past weeks, competing at Port City in the annual Pat Geary Shield against zones 6, 2 and 15.
The weekend proved tough going for the local zone, losing overall in each match, and only claiming six rink wins out of a possible eighteen.
There were some good signs to come out of the weekend, with many rookies stepping up in their first outings as zone players. West Coffs Corey Wedlock (still a junior), and Martin Wilson, along with Park Beach's Steve Plumb all made the cut to earn the right to compete at the State Inter Zone championships at Nelsons Bay in September, in their first year in the side. Only two other MNC players managed to make the sixteen man side, rep veterans from Park Beach Ric Southam and Cory Daley will provide plenty of experience for the newer capped players to learn from.
Sawtell's Paul Bartholomew was selected as a reserve and was considered unlucky by many not to be in the starting side.
And for the record, Newcastle (Zone 2) won the shield, adding to their impressive record in the event.

Last weekend saw John Bain continue to add to his growing list of titles when he finished the only unbeaten player in the MNC Champion of Club Champion singles event hosted by Park Beach.
With players having to win their club singles this year just to be eligible, the field was always going to be strong. Bain reached the final at his home club by defeating Martin Wilson 31-17 in the penultimate match. The other semi final went down to the wire, with Nambucca Heads champion Tony Urquhart outlasting Macksville's Paul Ward 31-26.
Bain proved to be the more determined in the final claiming the win over Urquhart 31-12 in a match where the scores' didn't reflect the closeness of the battle.
Bain was also the winner of this event in 2009 and will compete in the zone final later in the year.

Finally, Sawtell hosted the annual Mike Blewitt Major/Minor Pairs carnival which was filled to capacity. The event ran perfectly with plenty of visitors, in particular a number of Armidale teams competing in the popular tournament. Game six on Sunday afternoon had to be scrapped due to mother nature flexing her muscles and bringing showers and lightning down upon the area, leaving the winners to be determined on the results of the first five matches. Park Beach's Rod Farmer and Steve Kennedy claimed the winners purse including free hire of a luxury car from Mike Blewitt prestige motors for a weekend of their choosing. The event will be sure to fill to capacity early again next year.

This weekend will see the annual Park Beach open pairs carnival, (call the club for details) and the MNC Champion of Club Champion Pairs event being contested at West Coffs....

Til Next Time.....

Chippy

Club Championships - Singles

Most clubs have now completed their club singles and pairs for 2011.

At Park Beach, John Bain has carved out his own slice of history winning his third consecutive club singles crown with a hard fought victory over the evergreen Phil Toy.
No player has ever won three in a row at the club and Bain was determined to become the first, getting out to an early lead that saw him get within five shots of the winning post before Toy commenced a fightback. Trailing 27-13, Toy ground his way back, getting to 26 before Bain finally closed the door. Both players deserve credit for the gutsy efforts put in to this match. The question now has to be asked, can anyone stop Bain making it four in a row in 2012?

Martin Wilson took out his maiden club singles at West Coffs defeating Stuart Hartigan in 31-22 in a match that was much closer than the final score reflects. The victory completes a rapid rise to the upper echelon of the sport within the local area for Martin who also recently, along with Hartigan gained his first selection the Zone Fourteen representative team.
Wilson certainly earned his place in the decider, coming from 18-2 behind to snatch victory from young gun Corey Wedlock 31-29. Corey also has been given an opportunity to debut in the men's open zone rep side later this month, giving the club the most number of representative players it has had for at least a decade!
Hartigan didn't have it all his own way in the other semi final against Peter Newcombe, battling through for a 31-23 success.

Both Bain and Wilson will now compete in the District Champion of Club Champion Singles hosted by Park Beach in a weeks time.
This weekend will see the Zone Fourteen representative side compete in the Pat Geary Shield against the Hunter, Newcastle and Central Coast Zones. Twelve players from the Mid North Coast will be travelling to Port Macquarie today to compete in this annual event that is used by selectors as a means of selecting a 16 man side to compete at the state inter zone championships later this year.

Full results of this event, and the draw for the C/CC singles to follow...

Enjoy the weekend!

Chippy

State Pennant Results

No joy was to be had for clubs representing the Mid North Coast at the state pennant championships held at numerous benues over the weekend.
Four Mid North Coast Clubs travelled away ins earch of glory and despite playing well, none were successful in advancing past the semi finals stage.

In Grade One, hosted by Ballina, Park Beach recovered from an opening round loss to Alexandria Erskineville to record two impressive victories in rounds two and three against Wagga and Ettalong. It was Erskineville however that advanced from this section. Bowls powerhouse club St Johns Park eventually took out the flag over Belrose.

In Grade Three, Nambucca Heads travelled toAlbion Park and started their campaign well against Guyra, scoring a solid win, however a loss in round two to Hamilton North put their campaign on thin ice, and when eventual champions Cowra also proved too strong, the sun had set on what was a great year for the Nambucca boys.

Bellingen found the going tough at Western Suburbs, losing their opening clash to Ourimbah Lisarow however bounced back to record a win over Merrylands in round two. Albion Park put paid to the Bellingen campaign in the third round, however the small country club can hold their head high after a gutsy effort this season.

Finally in Grade Six, Coffs Ex Services took a little while to get going at Engadine, struggling in their opening two rounds before putting Binalong to the sword in their last match. Again this was a great effort for a side that didn't have a single member that had played at a state pennant championship before. The team will grow from the experience and continue to improve in the coming years.

Congrats to all the State champions crowned Monday morning!

Chippy

State Pennant Finals Preview

Four teams from the Mid North Coast are preparing themselves for a quest for state glory this weekend. All will face stiff opposition, however the beauty of state finals, is that anything can happen.. and maybe, just maybe a local team may come home with a flag...

Coffs Ex Services provided one of the closest victories in recent memory when they claimed the Grade Six zone flag. Now they prepare to travel to Sydney to the Engadine club to chase their State title. Saturday they will first face off against Gilgandra, and then Fairy Meadow after lunch. Their last sectional match will be against Binalong.
My pick for the flag in this grade (other than Coffs of course) is Goodooga, as they have a proven record in the lower grades.

Bellingen will also travel to Sydney in the Fives, their host venue will be West Leagues and their first and most important clash will be against Ourimbah Lisarow. Following matches will be against Merrylands and Albion Park.
Other than Bello, my money's on Waterboard and Tigers Five Dock to claim the flag.

Nambucca Heads I believe are our districts best chance of a state flag. They also have to travel the furthest to compete, playing at Albion Park. To reach the semi finals they will need to overcome Guyra, Hamilton North and Cowra. I expect them to play local hopes Albion Park in the decider.

Finally Park Beach will venture to Ballina in the blue ribbon grade. According to bowlsbet.com.au they are wasting their time even showing up, paying $15 for every dollar invested just to reach the semi finals! However the experience at the back end for the beach boys shouldn't be disregarded, and there is no doubt that their first opposition Alexandria Erskineville won't be taking them lightly, after Park Beach defeated them at last years state finals. Round two will see them clash wit Wagga Rules Club and then against section favourites (largely on the back of marquee player Aron Sheriff) Ettalong in round three.

St Johns Park are the red hot favourites on the tote followed by Ettalong, however I like Dapto to take the flag ahead of Belrose (assuming Parky doesn't progress).

I will endeavour to post regularly over the weekend and keep up to date in all grades.

Good luck to all four sides competing.. Do your district and Clubs proud!

Chippy

Kelly Shield and Shelley Trophy

The following is a report from Ian Weldon on the Kelly Shield and Shelley Trophy from the MNCDBA website.

Many thanks to Ian.


A strong performance from our District Juniors saw them retain the George Shelley Shield.  Ben Watson’s team won 29 – 19 while Corey Wedlock’s team won 34 – 13.
Congratulations too to Josh Forbes and Corey Wedlock who travelled home from Warilla on Saturday night, after losing the Semi Final of the State Junior pairs by just one shot, to play.

This was the seventeenth time the event has been contested with our District the victor 11 times compared to the Lower North Coast with 6.  However we have a number of our representative juniors who will be joining the seniors’ ranks soon so we will need to do a bit of team rebuilding for next year.

The John Kelly Shield saw a titanic battle where the Mid North Coast came from behind to win 126 – 125.  In a tense final end Brett McDonnell’s team scored a 3 to help secure the win by 1 shot.

Each District scored 3 wins with Cory Daley’s team recording a resounding 39 – 9 victory.

This win was the 19th by our District with the Lower North Coast recording 13.

Congratulations to all who competed.

Regards,



Ian Weldon
Secretary

Results Kelly Shield:
R Barbat, J Jeffery, A King, R Wardrop
DEF
J Hall, I Binder, C Young, G Ball 22-16

S Plumb, M Wilson, S Wilson, C Daley
DEF
R Orr, R Knox, G Martin, G Mcloughlin 39-9

R Holloway, G Colman, C Adams, R Southam
LOST TO
C Baldwin, A White, A Miller, B Stewart 21-25

G Kindred, B Sinnott, G Wedlock, B McDonnell
DEF
S Allen, A Lewis, C Balaam, D Richardson 24-19

B Bain, T Kadwell, P Woodsell, P Bartholomew
LOST TO
K Paulsen, K Martin, G Brims, S Globits 7-25

W Rowbottom, P Toy, D Brown, L Morris
LOST TO
D Williams, L Dodd, S Franklin, P Taylor

MNC 126 DEF LNC 125

Shelley Trophy
R Newick, J Forbes, J Hicks, C Wedlock
DEF
S Whelan, H Loane, H Rudd, J Whelan 34-13

J Reynolds, A Gittoes, K Monks, B Watson
DEF
C Murray, B Williams, J Hennessy, J Lewis 29-19

MNC 63 DEF LNC 32

Finals of Ford Open Singles

Warillla's favourite irishman Jeremy Henry has taken out the Ford Open Singles in his first attempt at Park Beach last Friday, battling not just top quality opposition but some very cold and wet weather as well.

The morning saw the quarter finals get underway, with Henry the first to book a place in the semi finals, dominating the very promising Merrylands star Zel Trbara 25-7 to advance.

Next through was Albion Park's David Ferguson, who showed his prowess to defeat crowd favourite Rowan Brassey 25-18.

Claire Duke ensured herself a place in the final four, holding off a strong finishing Cory Daley 25-19 to set up a clash with Ferguson.

Finally the ever consistent Wayne Turley reached yet another Ford semi final, downing reigning champion Neil Burkett from the Merrylands club in the pick of the quarter finals, Turley the better by four shots 25-21.

Duke continued her march to the final claiming the semi final against the form player in the event, being Dave Ferguson. Duke finished well claiming a 25-18 victory. The Henry/Turley clash proved to be one sided although incredibly entertaining with both players putting on a display of champagne bowls for the crowd. Jeremy managed to get the better results when it counted to claim the match 25-16.

The final suffered with bad weather however this did not spoil the quality of the bowls. Claire looked as though she was going to cause a boil over and become the first female winner of the event, with the scores locked at fifteen all and the ascendency with the Cabramatta star. However with the second shower of the match came a change in momentum, Jeremy finding his line and weight in a big way, playing close to perfect bowls to run out a ten shot winner over a gallant Duke.

Park Beach can look forward to the return of both in 2012.

Park Beach Open Singles 2011 Quarter Finalists

After a very tough cold day the final 32 is now just 8.

In Section One Neil Burkett finished with three wins to hold out the evergreen Rex Johnston.

In Section Two Wayne Turley also finished with three wins, to advance ahead of Kelsey Cottrell who managed two out of three.

In Section Three Jeremy Henry held off a challenge from Brody Pitham to also advance undefeated.

Section Four was taken out by Zel Trbara despite Zel being thumped by Kelvin Kerkow by 23 shots in his last match. Trbara amazingly won the section with two wins minus seven shots!

Claire Duke flew the flag for the women in Section Five. Despite a loss to Sam Laguzza Claire took out the section finishing with a superior shot aggregate over Ben Twist and Laguzza.

Section Six proved to be the tightest, with locals Cory Daley and John Bain and Warner's Bay's Brian Morton all finishing with two wins. Daley proved the victor, advancing ahead of Bain by one shot.

David Ferguson dominated Section Seven winning all three matches. No other player in this section finished with a positive shots margin, such was Ferguson's dominance.

Finally Section Eight was taken out by the ever reliable Rowan Brassey, also unbeaten. The best of the remainder of the section was Ryan Bester.

So the quarter finals will be as follows:

Neil Burkett Vs Wayne Turley
Jeremy Henry Vs Zel Trbara
Claire Duke Vs Cory Daley
David Ferguson Vs Rowan Brassey

Play gets underway Friday morning at 8:30 am.

Best of luck to all!

Park Beach Open Singles 2011 last 32...

The three qualifying days have passed leaving just thirty section winners and two wild cards. Ian Taylor and Johnny Bain were the lucky two to receive wildcards after racking up some big margins in their sectional matches.

The Sectional Draw for Thursday's play is as follows:

Section One:
N Burkett
R Johnston
M Chapman
M Casey

Section Two:
G McGillivray
P Toy
W Turley
K Cottrell

Section Three:
J Henry
M Miles
S Garvey
B Pitham

Section Four:
R Southam
K Kerkow
Z Trbara
I Taylor

Section Five:
C Duke
B Twist
S Laguzza
M Stecyck

Section Six:
J Bain
B Morton
C Daley
G Tinning

Section Seven:
M Gallop
G Raymond
D Ferguson
S Pryor

Section Eight:
R Bester
S Massey
R Brassey
J Aldersley

The eight section winners will play in the quarters, semi and final on Friday.

Special mention must go to the remaining two women in the draw being Claire Duke and Kelsey Cottrell.
And the host club will also have a number of players to cheer for on Thursday with John Bain, Ric Southam, Cory Daley and Phil Toy all still alive in the event.

Best of luck to all involved.

Cheers,

Chippy

West Coffs Triples Tournament

Congratulations to Stephen Kennedy, Barry Garner and Dennis Brown, winners of the 2011 West Coffs triples Tournament, proudly sponsored by Club Coffs, West Coffs Bowls Shop, Apollo Blinds Awnings and Shutters , and Ray Ellicott Concreting.

28 teams took to the greens for the two day event played over five rounds. And after three rounds on Saturday only five sides remained undefeated. Park Beach's Denis Brown and rink held a commanding shot margin to lie in first place, ahead of club mate Cory Daley, who was closely followed by teams skippered by Ferntree Gully's Ron Ralph, C-Ex's Aden Pike and Scotts Head's Bryan Cullen.
Round Four saw another win for Brown, however his margin was trimmed slightly by Daley and Cullen, who had moved to third on margins.
However any chance of the chasers running down Brown and compatriots in round five were erased with his side again posting a commanding victory to take out first prize.
Daley and his team of John Bain and Mark Menzies managed to hang on to second place, with Cullen's side of Bob Foster and Barry Smith the only other undefeated team in the event.
Only three other teams managed four out of five wins to take the minor placings.
It was great to see this event back on the local calendar, and it is hoped that the event will build from this year and once again fill three greens in years to come.
Full placings:
1st: 5W +79, S Kennedy, B Garner, D Brown (Park Beach)
2nd: 5W +46, J Bain, M Menzies, C Daley (Park Beach)
3rd: 5W +33, B Foster, B Smith, B Cullen (Scotts Head)
4th: 4W +52, L Munn, K Katon, M Mabbott (Aberdeen)
5th: 4W +36, C Wills, W Holland, R Wardrop (West Coffs/Park Beach)
6th: 4W +15, L Miles, J Doubleday, A Pike (Ex Services/West Coffs)

This event was the first of two big weeks of bowls in the district. Coffs Ex Services Master pairs was the next tournament to be decided followed by the Woolgoolga Classic Triples. The Park Beach Ford Open Singles will provide a fitting finale to the fortnight.

Results and further details on all these events as they come to hand.

Til Next Time....

Chippy

Zone Championships at Park Beach

Three bowlers stamped their authority on the Zone Fourteen Championships played at Park Beach over the weekend. Westport's Shane Globits and Peter Taylor and Park Beach's Cory Daley all walked away with two titles across the two days, with eight different events decided.
Saturday morning saw the opening events commence, with the Senior singles contested between Westport's Bruce Anderson and the host club's Phil Toy, Phil overcoming a slow start to post a solid victory and book a berth in the state finals.
The open triples event saw the host club again represented, this time by John Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley, against Bryce Stewart, Peter Taylor and Shane Globits of Wetstport. An unfortunate drive that allowed the Park Beach side to score a six proved the catalyst for the home team to make a break that was too much for the visitors to run down.
Stewart, Taylor and Globits were able to restore their pride when teaming with Greg Brims in the afternoon, as they squared off against another Park Beach side, this time being Neil Williams in his first zone final, John Bennett, Phil Toy searching for his second crown of the day and Laurie Morris. Westport scored a valuable multiple late in the match to seal the win.
Sunday morning saw all three pairs finals played. In the Reserve final the combatants appeared to be perfectly matched with Rob Goodsir and Don Gambrill from Woolgoolga going toe to toe with Lake Cathie's John Roberts and Des Hancox. In a tight finish, it was Roberts and Hancox who prevailed.
The Senior final turned out to be a fizzer with the Sawtell combination of Ray Cridge and Paul Bartholomew dominating for the duration against the experienced Westport duo Col Baldwin and Bruce Anderson.
The open event looked as though there was going to be a boilover on the cards, with Woolgoolga's Dave Valentine and Shayne Dodd taking an early commanding lead against Westport's Taylor and Globits, playing in their third final for the weekend. Leading by ten at one point the Woopi boys were looking the goods however a tactical change up from Globits, shortening the length to minimum distance allowed the match to turn back to their favour. A late charge seemed imminent before a Globits drive sunk the jack on the second last end and saw the Westport duo claim their second title of the weekend.
Sunday afternoon saw Globits walking out in his fourth final in the zone singles against Park Beach's Cory Daley, and in the reserve singles final, Woolgoolga's Hans Katala playing Kew's Jock Wyper.
In the reserves Katala found his rhythm first to establish a break which he was able to hold all the way to the finish.
The open event was a battle of tactics early, Daley scoring on mid to long ends, and Globits gaining ascendency on the shorter lengths. With the score at 12-10 in his favour Daley managed to score two multiples in succession to open a break. Globits continued to attempt to make in roads on the lead with short ends, however Daley was clearly finishing the stronger, playing his favoured length to stretch his lead and take out the blue ribbon event.
Shane should be commended for the manner in which he played, having competed all weekend, whilst suffering from a virus which was clearly sapping his energy come Sunday afternoon.

Results for the weekend:
Singles:
Open:
C Daley Def S Globits 31-14
Senior:
P Toy Def B Anderson 31-19
Reserve:
H Katala Def J Wyper 31-19

Pairs:
Open:
P Taylor, S Globits Def D Valentine, S Dodd 22-16
Senior:
R Cridge, P Bartholomew Def C Baldwin, B Anderson 20-13
Reserve:
J Roberts, D Hancox Def R Goodsir, D Gambrill 19-15

Triples:
J Bain, M Menzies & C Daley
Def
B Stewart, P Taylor & S Globits 29-10

Fours:
B Stewart, G Brims, P Taylor & S Globits
Def
N Williams, J Bennett, P Toy & L Morris 23-15.

Til Next time...

Chippy

District Triples Decided

After a horror week of weather the skies cleared just in time for the final of the Mid North Coast Singles to be played at host club Scotts Head last Saturday.
Park Beach was assured of a winner, with both finalists coming from the strong club.
Both sides refused to give an inch in the opening ends, the score even at 13 all after 15 ends. A crucial four scored on the 16th end proved the catalyst for Cory Daley's side of John Bain and Mark Menzies to establish dominance and a match winning lead, finishing nine clear of Wayne Rowbottom, Terry Kadwell and skipper Don Wood, the score 26-17.
For Mark Menzies it was a case of fourth time lucky, having reached mid north coast finals on three previous occasions since moving to the district. Mark is a prominent winner in the Armidale area however this was his first success on the MNC. Daley and Bain have now racked up three triples crowns, this being the second as a team, funnily enough Bain claiming his other title with a win over a side skipped by Daley back in 2004 also hosted by Scotts Head.
Kadwell and Rowbottom have both won this event in recent years with different partners, Rowbottom a winner with Daley in 2006, Kadwell a winner in 2005. Wood is a multiple champion having lifted the trophy in 2009, 2007 and also all the way back in 1988! The number of titles held by these finalists is a clear indicator of just how important experience is in these state qualifying events...

Bain, Menzies and Daley will now compete at Park Beach this coming weekend for the zone title against Westport's Bryce Stewart, Peter Taylor and Shane Globits. All zone finals are scheduled this weekend at Park Beach, with Westport's Shane Globits set for a big weekend, competing in the open singles, pairs, triples, and fours!
Clubmate Peter Taylor will join him in all three team disciplines. Multiple starters for the Mid North Coast include Daley, who will also contest the open singles, and Phil Toy who was a district winner in the fours and Senior Singles.

Good Luck to all involved and results will be posted as they come to hand...

Cheers,

Chippy

Ps: Other major tournaments were held over the Long weekend however results have not been provided. Please please please send me your results, whether they be club championships, tournaments or whatever! My email is attached to this website!

District Triples 2011

After four tough rounds just two teams remain in the 2011 MNC Triples championship, being hosted by Scotts Head Bowling Club.
Park Beach will provide both finalists, despite some spirited efforts from teams from Sawtell and Stuarts Point. With the field whittled down to the last eight sides for this morning's play, Park Beach still had two entrants remaining, Stuarts Point had the one and Sawtell appeared to be on track to have both finalists as they did in 2010, providing the remaining five quarter finalists.
P T Clarke and team were the first to advance to the semi finals, overcoming club mates skippered by J Franck 37-15 after leading 30-2. Junior Mitchell Clarke should be commended leading for Franck, directly against his father Peter. It won't be too long before Mitchell is on the happy side of the scoreboard against dad if this mornings match is any indication.
Park Beach's Don Wood and co battled all the way with Sawtell's Ian Weldon and managed to win a tight finish 24-21 to book a berth against P T Clarke in the semi. Stuarts Point's young guns skippered by Andy King broke clear with ten ends remaining against Sawtell Phil Hall and team, however had to hold off a late comeback to advance, winning 28/24. Finally, the 2011 open singles finalists met again, with a similar result, Park Beach's Cory Daley and side too consistent for Sawtell's Graham Green and team, claiming the clash 30-13.
In the first semi final, Wayne Rowbottom, Terry Kadwell and Don Wood established their dominance early against what had been the form team in the event, namely Peter Clarke, Ben Sutton and P T Clarke. It was  a lead they never surrendered earning a place in the final with a 24-11 victory. Terry Kadwell proved to be the difference, continually giving his team the advantage.
The second semi final by contrast saw the momentum shift on a couple of occasions. Park Beach's John Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley opened an early buffer leading 10-3 against brothers Dale and Jake Jeffery, skipped by Andy King and looked to be well in control, however King showed why he is regarded as one of the brightest talents in the zone, continually converting heads to level the score, and with the Jeffery brothers also finding their range they moved to a 14-10 lead. A change from short to maximum length ends however saw the momentum shift again, the experience of the Park Beach side proving the difference as they raced away to an unassailable lead. King and Co restored some pride with a couple of multiple scores in the last two ends of the match, the final score 27-20 in Daleys favour.
The final will be postponed due to player involvement next weekend in the Australian indoor singles qualifying, and is expected to be played on Saturday 18/06.

Cheers,

Chippy

Full Results Zone Pennants and District Singles

Congratulations to all winners in yesterdays Zone Pennant Finals.

Full Results as follows:

Park Beach Def Westport 52-51
Port City Def Sawtell 55-51
Nambucca Heads Def Kew 54-40
Westport Def Sawtell 65-44
Bellingen Def South West Rocks 66-47
Coffs Ex Services Def Port City 57-56
South West Rocks Def 62-36 Nambucca Heads

As sections are determined for the state finals for each grade, they will be posted along with the venues...

Congratulations to Phil Toy and Cory Daley both of Park Beach colours, who have taken out the MNC Senior and Open Singles District titles respectively on Saturday.
Toy dominated the seniors from round one at Woolgoolga but found himself behind the eight ball in the final against club mate Barry Garner, trailing by six shots mid way through the match. Toy's experience and determination kicked in to see him finish strongly to claim his second district senior singles title. Despite the loss Barry garner should also be congratulated on reaching his first final, having taken the scalps of many highly rated players on his way to the decider. Toy defeated Wayne Rowbottom 31-21 in the first semi final whilst Garner demolished Vic Watkins 31-7 in their clash.
The final score in the decider was 31-23.
Daley also found the early going tough in the open singles final played at Sawtell, allowing his opponent Graham Green to reach nine shots before opening his account. For the first ninety minutes Green appeared the man most likely, playing the crucial shots at the right time, however Daley found another gear to pull himself back into the contest, and drawing on experience from his previous successes proceeded to throw maximum length ends. The result was a swift change in the dynamic of the match, Daley finishing in a canter to record a 31-21 victory. Daley now joins an elite class of bowlers who have won this event three times, with only Alan Carver and Kent Price having also managed to hold the trophy on three occasions. Daley having lost his first final to Carver in 2005. For Green this was his first singles final on the MNC but his third overall having reached the final on two separate occasions in the southern zones of the state. It will only be a matter of time as to when he finishes on the right side of a finals score board.
Toy and Daley join Hans Katala as the singles representative for the MNC at the zone championships in June where they will attempt to emulate the success of junior Josh Forbes who recently took out the junior division zone title as previously posted.

Til next time...

Chippy

Zone Pennant Finals, Results to hand

The Zone Fourteen pennant finals produces some memorable matches today with more than one match coming down to the last end. So far I have only been able to gather the results from Grades One to Four played at Park Beach.. They are as follows...

Grade One
Park Beach Def Westport 52-51.  The rivalry between the two dominant clubs in the zone will continue to grow after Park Beach won the last three ends of the match to steal the one shot victory on their home soil.

Grade Two
Port City Def Sawtell 55-51. The match was neck and neck all the way however it was Port City who stayed strong, the match only decided on Sawtell's last bowl.

Grade Three
Nambucca Heads Def Kew 54-40. In what was truly the upset of the day, Nambucca outclassed their highly fancied rivals to confortably earn a berth at the state finals. The team also had to contend with the absence of young gun Danny Gilmore who was unavailable due to family commitments, making the win even more special.

Grade Four
Westport Def Sawtell 65-44. Westport salvaged one flag from the days play, inflicting another painfull loss on Sawtell.

Results from Grades Five to Seven to be posted as they come to hand.

Cheers,

Chippy

Zone Pennant Preview

Sunday will see the Zone Fourteen Pennant Finals contested at two venues. Park Beach will host grades one to four, whilst grades five to seven will play at Port Panthers. Matches are scheduled to commence at 9:30.
Matches and team player lists at each venue as follows...

At Park Beach:
Grade One
Park Beach:
S Kennedy, T Kadwell, J Bain, R Southam.
B Bain, G Colman, R Farmer, M Menzies.
S Plumb, W Rowbottom, C Daley, C Pritchard.
VS
Westport:
C Baldwin, K Martin, M Webber, B Anderson.
J Fathers, W O'Neill, P Paterson, P Taylor.
K Paulsen, B Stewart, G Brims, S Globits.

Grade Two
Sawtell:
N Davidson, D Bond, G Cridge, P T Clarke.
D Anderson, Peter Clarke, G Green, P Hall.
R Cridge, B Proctor, P Bartholomew, I Weldon.
VS
Port City:
J Judge, K Ashdown, P Sheridan, C Buchanan.
A Eames, C Campbell, G Hargraves, G Worley.
D Oliver, J Sallustio, G Laird, K McGee.

Grade Three
Nambucca Heads:
J McCollom, N Pollard, D Cedelland, G Beattie.
J Wynter, C Freeman, C Potter, K Rostron.
R Barbat, C Kelly, J Wright, T Urquhart.
VS
Kew:
Y Brecard, R McArd, P Griffith, A Wares.
B Rumble, J Haddrick, M Atkins, C Balaam.
J Brown, A Westman, B Isaac, J O'Neill.

Grade Four
Sawtell:
R Mullen, M Baker, M Beerman, G Fisher.
P Warby, B Clugston, G Barden, G Peake.
W Thomas, J Franck, W Meadows, I Muller.
VS
Westport:
R Parry, G Smith, M Maher, P Wilkinson.
J Haines, J Lorentzen, B Isaac, P Johnson.
R Thompson, E Oliver, R Carkeek, K Caddy.

At Port Panthers...
Grade Five
South West Rocks:
K Gruenhofer, G Heggie, G Smith, G Hawes.
K Martin, M Colbert, D Pagett, K Burton.
B Ellam, G Atterton, G Woolridge, B Donnelly.
VS
Bellingen:
E Booth, G Haskew, B Ingle, M Delamere.
S Alford, M Reimer, J Shearim, C Habgood.
G Duggan, S McMaster, S Callander, S Glyde.

Grade Six
Port City:
J Eccleston, B Kemp, J Breen, B Langham.
R Bradbury, B Garlick, S Strong, B Dugdale.
D Lomas, N Schwartz, G Russell, B Richardson.
VS
Coffs Ex Services:
R Herbert, A Thompson, G Tindall, J Bishop.
P Rambow, C Weatherall, M Howlin, J Williams.
H Marriott, T Boulton, L Allen, R Roberts.

Grade Seven
South West Rocks:
A Davis, B Henson, I Robbins, B Horsfall.
B Brown, L Lucas, R Woodfield, W Abbott.
R Tumpey, B Fisk, A Robinson, J Carden.
VS
Nambucca Heads:
T Snowden, A Gittoes, M Rogers, R Thompson.
J Thorn, J Richardson, R Vanderjagt, J Phillips.
D Dunn, N Campbell, R Lawrence, B Butters.

LNC have dominated overall over the past few years however, this could be the year that MNC takes the majority of the flags. My predictions for the flag winners are:
Westport
Port City
Kew
Sawtell
Bellingen
Coffs Ex Services
Nambucca Heads

Of all the grades, Kew in grade three will be the biggest odds on favourites. With John O'Neill, Alan Wares, Barry Isaac and Peter Griffths in the team, the side could be easily mistaken for the first grade winning club. Nambucca will need to be on their game if they are to upset their LNC rivals...

However a champion team will always beat a team of champions.

Good luck to all involved...

Chippy
            

District Singles - Sunday Results

Reserve Singles
Congratulations go to Hans Katala from C-Ex Woolgoolga club who has proven himself to be a cut above in this years Presidents singles event. Hans did it the hard way, defeating two locals in the semi and final to take out the crown. Lee Allen pushed Hans all the way in the semi final, Hans eventually running out the victor 31-25. His opponent in the decider was Mark Jenkins who had earlier accounted for Jeff Thorn from Nambucca Heads. Hans proved to be a touch too consistent in the decider taking the match 31-20, and will now compete for the zone title in June at Park Beach.

Open Singles
It was a day of contrast at Sawtell during the penultimate rounds of the open singles event. All four quarter finals proved to be intense, with two of the four matches going right down to the wire, however in the afternoon both semi finals turned out to be remarkably one sided.
Graham Green from the host club was the first to book himself a place in the semi finals, grinding out a deserved win against West Coffs stalwart Tony Wills. Reigning champ Cory Daley soon joined Green, finishing strongly to get the chocolates against Bellingen's Chris Habgood. David Miles looked to have done enough to be the second Sawtell bowler through, holding match at 30-30 against West Coffs Rod Hiscock, before Hiscock played a decisive "on" shot to wrest the shot bowl and claim a semi berth. In the last of the quarters Paul Ward lead all the way against young gun Andy King, and seemed to have the match in his keeping when he lead 26-20. However the Stuarts Point talent found another gear, driving and drawing his way out of trouble to run down the Macksville star 31-27 to reach his first open singles semi final.
If the quarters were anything to go by the crowd would have been expecting two classic clashes in the semi's with Green drawn to play Hiscock, and King versus Daley.
However the intensity of the earlier matches appeared to have taken their toll on King and Hiscock, with both falling well behind early. King was still producing his trademark draw shots, however was being continually beaten to the jack by the more experienced Daley, the 2010 champion cruising to a 31-6 victory.
Hiscock rallied however never looked like closing the gap, Green taking the match 31-13.
The final should be a cracker with Green searching for his first district title in the MNCDBA and will have no shortage of supporters playing at his home club whilst Daley will be looking to take out his third singles crown in four years. The final will be played this Saturday at Sawtell @ 1pm.

Senior Singles
Due to catch up match required to be played, the seniors event is only out to the semi finals with four of Park Beach's best sixty and over's making the finals held at Woolgoolga, however it isn't a case of the usual suspects in this years event.
The quarter's proved to be all Park Beach after Wayne Rowbottom joined his clubmates, defeating T Kelly in the catch up match.
2008 champion Phil Toy would have been one of two favourites in the quarters, and managed to advance to the semi finals, but not before being pushed to breaking point by Phil Brown, Toy getting of gaol 31-30.
Wayne Rowbottom will battle Toy for a spot in the semi after winning an arm wrestle with Dennis Brown, both competitors getting on to the springboard before Rowbottom closed it out 31-27.
Vic Watkins made it two impressive wins from two when he downed Neil Williams by just three shots in their match. Currently playing third grade pennants for his club, Vic upstaged second grader Williams after knocking out first grade player Bob Bain in the round of sixteen. Watkins will now play Barry Garner for a place in the decider, another bowler who appeared on paper to be punching above his weight in the quarter final. Garner outclassed the highly rated Laurie Morris by seven shots to reach the final four.
All four bowlers are playing well enough to claim the trophy, however it will be Toy who should feel the weight of expectation, having been there and done it before. Rowbottom has been so close before and will fancy his chances, however Garner and Watkins will feel like they have nothing to lose and are clearly playing well enough to emerge victorious.
The semi finals are scheduled for 1pm this Saturday at Woolgoolga.

Zone Pennant preview to follow later this week.

Til Next Time...

District Singles Update...

After two tough rounds the open singles is down to the last eight, the seniors has nine combatants left and the reserve singles is down to the semi finals.
Another result to come through is that Josh Forbes is the new Junior Zone Singles champion after defeating Jai Whelan in a top class match 31-30 today. Pairs and Fours results to follow...

At Sawtell, the open singles has thrown up eight worthy contestants, all capable of taking out the title.
Quarter Finals will be:
Andy King Vs Paul Ward
Cory Daley Vs Chris Habgood
Grahame Green Vs Tony Wills
David Miles Vs Rod Hiscock

King advanced after two strong wins, the last against Martin Wilson. The young gun reached the final of the 2010 C/CC district singles where he was beaten by quarter final opponent Ward. Ward is also the 2009 open district champ.
Reigning champ Daley will have his work cut out against former C/CC district champion Habgood whilst Wills and Green both are well respected within the district and will provide an entertaining match up. The wild card of the field is Sawtell local David Miles who upstaged some quality opponents to reach the quarters. Rod Hiscock will be his adversary and certainly has the ability to perform in big matches, having claimed the 2010 zone pairs title.

Park Beach has dominated the Senior singles at Woolgoolga, with all seven of the known quarter finalists provided by the club. The seven to book their spots are: Laurie Morris, Phil Toy, Barry Garner, Vic Watkins, Dennis Brown, Phil Brown, and Neil Williams. Wayne Rowbottom has a chance to make it a Parky clean sweep when he plays against T Kelly Sunday morning.

Finally Coffs Ex Services bowlers have made the most of the home club advantage in the Reserve singles, with Lee Allen and Mark Jenkins reaching the semi finals. Their respective opponents are Hans Katala from Woolgoolga and J Thorn from Nambucca Heads.

For full results go to www.mncdba.com.au

Cheers,

Chippy

Weekend Preview May 21st & 22nd

Zone Pennants
Firstly, some of the Lower North Coast Pennants have been decided, with five grades to be determined this weekend. Below are the zone finals that have been confirmed:

At Park Beach:
Grade 2: Sawtell Vs Port City
Grade 3: Nambucca Heads Vs Kew

Grades to be determined:
Grade One: Park Beach Vs  (Kempsey Heights/Westport)
Grade Four: Sawtell Vs (Westport/North Haven)
Grade Five: Bellingen Vs (South West Rocks/Kew)
Grade Six: Coffs Ex Services Vs (Port City/Lake Cathie/North Haven/Crescent Head)
Grade Seven: Nambucca Heads Vs (South West Rocks/Westport/Kew)


District Singles
All three events continue tomorrow and a friendly reminder.... NEXT ROUND STARTS AT 9AM SATURDAY MORNING!!!!!!
To make it interesting, I'll put my head on the chopping block and nominate who I think will be in the last eight in each event.... 
Open Singles @ Sawtell:
Martin Wilson 
Paul Ward
Cory Daley
Graeme Colman
Michael King
P T Clarke
Ian Weldon (only because of home ground advantage... by far the toughest group of four!!!)
Colin Thompson

Senior Singles @ Woolgoolga
L. Morris
B. Garner
B. Bain
N.Williams
P. Box
P. Bartholomew
D. Alexander
W. Rowbottom

Reserve Singles @ Coffs Ex Services  (semi finalists)
M. Hopper
P. Quinn
M.Jenkins
P. Smith

Please comment and let me know how many you think I have right! Or alternatively, let me know who you think will be in the semi finals... and remember this is only for fun, and not meant to offend anyone.

Cheers!

Chippy

Weekend Results 14th & 15th May

Pennants Decided
Congrats to the final flag winners of 2011, being:
Grade Two: Sawtell
Grade Three: Nambucca Heads
Grade Four: Sawtell.

They join:
Grade One: Park Beach
Grade Five: Bellingen
Grade Six: Coffs Ex Services
Grade Seven: Nambucca Heads

Sawtell determined their own success in Grade Two by defeating Coffs Ex Services 5-1 in their washed out clash. Park Beach Two's gave it their all but couldn't overcome their clubmates, going down 5-1 to finish the season in second in grade two and third overall in the combined grade.
Sawtell then made it a double despite losing their washed out match in Grade four against Scotts Head 4-2. Scotts Head appeared to have done enough to claim the flag before some last bowl heroics changed the overall result from a 5-1 to 4-2, handing Sawtell the flag by just one point!
Nambucca Heads also sealed a second flag for the year also despite a last round loss to Woolgoolga. The Woopi boys gave it all they had and even secured the win however a six to nil victory was always going to be a big ask against the quality Nambucca outfit. In the end Woopi managed a 4.5-1.5 win but had to settle for second place.
All zone champions will now prepare for the zone finals in just a fortnight where a berth in the state finals is up for grabs...

Open and Reserve Singles
Great weather greeted bowlers today for the opening rounds of district singles with bowlers competing at three different venues. Sawtell hosted the open singles, where plenty of top class bowls were played. The pick of the matches was the marathon between Colin Thompson from C-Ex and Ric Southam from Park Beach. After four hours it was Thompson, who drew his way to a place in the second round, defeating Southam 31-30. Unfortunately, two of the highly anticipated first round clashes never occurred, with Chris McDonnell and Mark Delamere both receiving forfeits from Josh Shearim and John Bain respectively. Scotts Head bowler Vic Mankin's experience proved to much for the young talent Cameron Wills claiming their match 31-18.
Other bowlers too watch that have moved into the last 32 include Shaun Wilson, P T Clarke, Michael King, Cory Daley, Ian Weldon and Rod Hiscock. Weldon and Hiscock should be the match of the next round, closely followed by the clash between Shaun Wilson and Mark Delamere. Other interesting match ups include Steve Plumb and Andy King, and Ben Proctor and Paul Ward.

Coffs Ex Services is playing host to the Reserve Singles with sixteen combatants remaining in the draw after today. Locals L Allen, P Quinn and M Jenkins have all advanced and will be tough to beat on their home track, with local knowledge on the synthetic surface a massive advantage. Bowraville also has three entrants advancing to the next round with my tip Matt Hopper leading the way. Park Beach managed four entrants in the last sixteen, Brenton Metham's round one victory perhaps the most impressive of the opening clashes.

Next weekend will see all three events playing four rounds over two days, which will see the reserve singles decided and the senior and open singles events deciding their finalists. Good luck to all involved and again congratulations to those involved in successful pennant sides... you have all done your clubs proud.

Cheers,

Chippy

Weekend Preview for May 14th & 15th...

Pennants
Today is the last chance to claim a district flag or avoid relegation with a handful of matches required to determine this in a number of grades....

In Grade Two there are two crunch matches scheduled. Sawtell are in the box seat when they play last placed Coffs Ex Services at home, knowing that two points is all they require for the flag. Park Beach two's must defeat their clubmates Parky one's 6-0 and hope for an upset at Sawtell if they are to steal away the crown.

In Grade Three, Woolgoolga host Nambucca Heads and need nothing less than a 6-0 victory also in order to leapfrog Nambucca to take out top spot. Grade Four will be similar with Sawtell hosting Scotts Head, Sawtell with just a 3 point buffer coming into this match. Woolgoolga are a further point behind and mathematically can still win it but would need a minor miracle if they are to overtake both sides above them.

District Singles
Round one of Open, Senior and Reserve District Singles matches are to be played Sunday afternoon.
The opens are to be played at Sawtell, and the pick of the first round matches would be John Bain vs Mark Delamere who are both worthy singles combatants. The clash between ex junior Josh Shearim and Chris McDonnell will also draw a crowd and the match between Vic Mankin and last years zone junior champ Cam Wills will also be worth a look. Finding a favourite for the event will be difficult, however you can't go past the usual suspects, Ric Southam, Cory Daley and Paul Ward. All have tasted success in this event before and will be hard to beat. Others to watch are the two sets of brothers, Shaun and Martin Wilson, and Mick and Andy King.

The Reserve Singles being hosted by Coffs Ex Services should see a strong showing by the locals, J Bishop's good results in the pairs should see him firm as a favourite. The dark horse of the field however will be Bowravilles Matt Hopper....

Finally the Seniors will be hotly contested at Woolgoolga. Local knowledge again could play a part, so look out for Ron Goodsir, Don Gambrill and Rex Holloway. Frank Tarman and Paul Bartholomew look to be C-Ex and Sawtell's best chances respectively whilst Park Beach has a number of quality entrants, with Laurie Morris, Phil Toy and Neil Williams leading the charge. The event has a different feel to it this year, owing to the fact that for the first time since its inception, Col Pritchard isn't competing. A prominent winner of both senior events, the draw seems much more open without his presence. Col has opted not to enter this year as he prepares to move north to be closer to family in the coming months. The district will be poorer without you Col, all the best on your travels...

Best wishes to all involved this weekend and may the luck be shared...

Chippy

Pennants Round Ten

Park Beach and Coffs Ex Services have joined Bellingen and Nambucca Heads as District flag winners after Round Ten last Saturday however three grades still remain undecided, with the washed out matches required this coming Saturday to decide the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grades.

Park Beach cemented a seventh straight First Grade flag when they defeated West Coffs 5-1 at home. Leading Sawtell by six points going into round ten, the side was guaranteed the flag after Sawtell only managed a 4-2 victory against Urunga. Park Beach Seconds kept their slim hopes alive with a 5-1 success at home to Coffs Ex Services, however will need to upset the first grade Parky team and hope for Sawtell to choke in the washed out round against Coffs if they are to steal away the flag in the last match of the season.

In Grade Six, a round ten loss couldn't stop Coffs Ex Services claiming the flag, the 1.5 points earned enough to maintain a 7.5 point lead over West Coffs with just one match remaining. West Coffs defeated the third placed Park Beach 5-1 however the flag has probably been out of reach for the past two rounds. Another loss for Sawtell will see them relegated back to Grade Seven next season.

In Grade Three, Woolgoolga have kept their slim chances of running down Nambucca Heads alive, the sides 5-1 defeat of Park Beach  giving them the slightest chance of a last gasp win in this grade. Woopi will now play Nambuca Heads at home, knowing that only a whitewash will secure them the flag. Nambucca need just half a point from this match to stave off the fast finishing Woopi team.

And finally Grade Four has been blown wide open after seemingly being sewn up by Sawtell. Last placed Coffs Ex Services caused the upset of the round by defeating Sawtell 5-1, allowing both Scotts Head and Woolgoolga a chance to take out the crown. Although Woolgoolga are within four points of the leaders Sawtell, realistically the flag will go to the victors of the clash between Scotts Head and Sawtell this Saturday, with just three points separating the two teams at the top. Sawtell will hope the home ground advantage will be enough to get them over the line in what has been perhaps the most interesting of the grades this season.

A full preview of the washed out matches scheduled as well as the district singles to be posted later this week...

And apologies for the delay with this post, computer glitches have been to blame but have now been sorted.

Til Next time....

Chippy

Round Ten Preview

Before we get to the Weekend matches, a big congratulations to the Sawtell duo Noel Stahlut and Paul Bartholomew who are the MNCDBA Senior Pairs champions for 2011 after they defeated club mates Marty Beerman and Barry Brown 23-10 in the final mid week.
Noel and Paul will contest the zone final against the LNC champions in June.

As promised the result of the Grade Five final has been received with Bellingen joining Grade Seven winners Nambucca Heads as District flag holders, after they defeated Bowraville last Saturday. Bellingen ran out winners on two rinks to win the big board and will now advance to the zone finals later this year.

Going in to the tenth and potentially final round for many clubs, all five remaining grades could be determined this weekend in the MNC pennant...
In the combined First and Second Grade, Park Beach and Sawtell both have a chance to sew up their respective flags. Park Beach will play at home against West Coffs, knowing that a six nil victory will all but see them over the line as they already lead by six points and have a superior margin to their only remaining threat Sawtell. Sawtell in turn travel to Urunga knowing that a six to nil victory may also be enough provided Park Beach Seconds drop points to Coffs Ex Services. The team in the hot seat will most definitely be Sawtell, with both of their rivals having home matches. If they are to slip up, this week will be where it happens.

In Grade Three, Woolgoolga require no less than a six to nil victory over third placed Park Beach if they are to reel in leaders Nambucca Heads, who have the bye and an 11.5 point lead. If they can do so, they will play Nambucca at home in the washed out game in hand, any other result will see Nambucca handed the flag.

In Grade Four Sawtell travel to the treacherous Coffs Ex Services with the knowledge that a six to nil victory will see them crowned district champions, however with both Scotts Head and Woolgoolga ready to pounce should they slip up this grade may well have to be decided in the final round. Should it come to that, then they will to defeat the currently second placed Scotts Head for the title.

Lastly, in Grade Six, Coffs Ex Services realistically already have the flag sewn up, however they can guarantee themselves the chance to play for a zone flag by scoring a single point or more when they play away at Nambucca.

No district championships are to be held this weekend owing to Mothers day, however the following weekend will be incredibly hectic, with the senior, open and reserve single sevents commencing at three venues across the district. A preview of all three events next week...

To all involved this weekend, good luck!

Cheers,

Chippy

District Pairs Decided

Woolgoolga bowlers Shane Dodd and sub Greg Snowball (filling in for Dave Valentine) have played tremendously to capture their maiden District Pairs title hosted by Woolgoolga.
The duo dominated Sawtell's David Miles and Greg Proctor in the decider, taking full use of the home green advantage taking the match 23-9.
To reach the decider Snowball and Dodd knocked out the red hot favourites John Bain and Ric Southam by a shot, Dodd playing the winning shot with the last bowl of the match. Miles and Proctor claimed their first berth in an open final with a come from behind victory over Scotts Head Pair Dale Scrivener and Hagop Aladjadjian.
Both teams deserve congratulations and have served notice to all other bowlers within the district, as based on their current form, this will not be the last district final that any of these players reach.
Dodd and Valentine, assuming he has returned from his travels, will now take on Peter Taylor and Shane Globits in the zone final in June.

Woolgoolga now also boasts the District reserve pairs champions, with Ron Goodsir and Don Gambrill claiming the final against Coffs Ex Services duo skipped by J Bishop 20-6.
This is the second time Don Gambrill has now won this event, the experience helping his team over the line.
In the semi final they proved too strong for the Park Beach team skippered by Rick White, while Bishop and partner defeated A Peterson from Urunga.

Urunga's Josh Forbes claimed the hat trick in the junior events in his final year as an under eighteen, teaming with  West Coffs Corey Wedlock to defeat Ben Watson and David Johnson in the decider 29-18 at Macksville after trailing 13-0!.

And finally, The District Senior Pairs is down to just two sides, with Sawtell providing both finalists. The decider will see Paul Bartholomew and partner clash with Barry Brown and partner. Bartholomew reached the decider with a victory over yet another Sawtell side containing J Townsend. Brown defeated Aden pike from Coffs Ex Services to book his place in the final.

Next weekend will see round ten of the District pennants played.

Til Next Time.....

Chippy

Pennants Round Nine

The end results of Grades One, Three, Four and Six appear much clearer after a turbulent round nine, although despite some telling results, no one is over the line yet in these grades. Grade Two still hangs in the balance whilst the playoff for the Grade Five flag between Bowraville and Bellingen has occurred but the result not yet posted!

In the combined First & Second Grade event, Park Beach Firsts have closed in on a seventh successive district flag, defeating Sawtell at Sawtell 5-1 to move six clear with two rounds remaining. Park Beach two's failed to take advantage of Sawtell's defeat, losing to West Coffs 4-2, who have finally found some form late in the event. Urunga lifted themselves out of last place with a narrow 5-1 victory against Coffs Ex Services, who now seemed destined for relegation. Sawtell still hold the ascendancy in the race for the Second grade flag, leading Park Beach two by five points, the result looking to be decided in the last round of the year.

Grade Three is now a two horse race after Nambucca Heads crushed Park Beach on their home rink 6-0, winning by a massive margin of 41 shots to end the Park Beach season. Woolgoolga kep their slim hopes alive with a 5-1 away win at Sawtell however will need to score maximum points in both matches to trouble Nambucca.

In Grade Four, a win over nearest rivals Woolgoolga has placed Sawtell in a position to sew up the flag in round ten. A six nil result next week against Coffs Ex Services will guarantee a victory with the now second placed Scotts Head seven points adrift. Scotts Head will be devastated that the round eight scheduled clash with Sawtell didn't occur, with the chance to defeat the leaders potentially taken from them by mother nature, the washed out match only scheduled should it have a bearing on the final standings...

The result of the play off in Grade Five will be posted as it comes to hand.

Congrats to all the winning sides.

Cheers,

Chippy

Weekend Results 16th & 17th April

Due to the wet weather it has been a very quiet weekend. Pennants was washed out on Saturday, and only the Open district pairs saw any action on Sunday with the quarter finals being played at Woolgoolga before mother nature brought a halt to proceedings.

The four matches that were played all resulted in highly competitive matches, with the biggest winning margin being two shots.
David Miles & Ben Proctor were the first team through to the semi finals, holding off a late charge from locals Barry Carter and Ian Brien to register a one shot victory 18-17.
They will meet Dale Scrivener and Hagop Aladjadjian in the first semi final after the Scotts Head duo also held off a strong comeback from Stuarts Point Young Guns Jake Jeffery and Andy King, recording a 15-13 win.
Dave Valentine and Shane Dodd kept the local hopes alive winning a tense battle battle with Bellingen's Josh Shearim and Mark Delamere 21-20.
The nominated match of the round between the two remaining Park Beach entrants lived up to expectations, with John Bain and Ric Southam prevailing over Mark Menzies and Cory Daley 19-17 in a match of the highest quality, to set up a clash with Valentine and Dodd.
Pennant and District will take a back seat next weekend for Easter, however there are a couple of Easter tournaments being run in the local area. Urunga is hosting a one day triples event on Easter Saturday, and at the time of posting still require a few more teams. Call the club for further details.

Til Next Time,

Happy Easter!

Chippy

Mid North Coast Dominates Under Forty Fives Clash

Under Forty Fives Victorious
The future of bowls on the Mid North Coast is brighter than ever after a dominant display in the annual Under Forty Fives clash against Lower North Coast played on Sunday. Played at Park Beach, the MNC side registered a four rinks to one success, turning around an early deficit to take the honours comfortably. Biggest win on the day was registered by the enigmatic Robbie Wardrop and his rink of Beau Lindsell, Jake Jeffery and Andy King. the other successful skippers being Matt Bell, Cory Daley, and Corey Wedlock, Corey showing poise above his years in his first turn skipping at this level to steal a one shot victory on his rink.
Perhaps the greatest fact of the day was the number of clubs represented. The talent pool of younger bowlers is on the rise in the district and it's great to see that a multitude of clubs are benefitting. The onus really is on these clubs now to help these talents prosper as these future stars will in turn help the clubs to greater successes.

Pennants Round Seven
Bowraville will play Bellingen for the Grade Five Flag after just falling over the line in their final sectional match against Urunga. Macksville appeared to have the section sewn up before falling at the final hurdle, opening the door for Bowra to sneak in and book a place in the final. The match is scheduled for 30th April at North Beach.

In the combined First and Second Grade, Sawtell have placed on hand on the Grade Two flag after defeating their closest rivals Park Beach Seconds 4-2. Parky managed to claim two rinks to one however PT Clarke saved the day for Sawtell, with a comprehensive win over Laurie Morris's rink. Park Beach Firsts battled to a 5-1 victory to move a point further clear at the top, the side drawing two rinks against Urunga in a very tight affair. And finally it appears that West Coffs have found some form, demolishing Coffs Ex Services 6-0. Unfortunately it is probably too little too late, the side still 15 points behind with just three rounds remaining.

In Grade Three both Nambucca Heads and Woolgooga recorded good wins to continue to press their claims. Woolgoolga also keeping their chances alive in Grade Four, as well as Sawtell who both managed convincing wins. Scotts Head have also kept their chances alive with a six to nil success, however losses for both Coffs Ex Services and Urunga spells the end to their respective seasons.

Finally in Grade Six, Coffs Ex Services have maintained their six point advantage over West Coffs, both recording 5-1 victories, whilst Park Beach appear to have surrendered their shot at the flag, suffering a shock home loss to Nambucca Heads.

This weekend coming sees Round Eight of the Pennant Season as well as the next rounds of the four District Pairs championships.

Til Next Time...

Chippy

Weekend Preview for April 9th and 10th

Firstly congratulations to the CHS North Coast Bowls side, who reached the final of the state CHS championships this week held at Park Beach Bowling Club. Eighty future stars of the game competed in the event with the locals making the decider only to go down narrowly. The great performace resulted in three local stars making the state CHS squad, namely Josh Forbes, Kenita Monk and Corey Wedlock. All three possess great talent and will no doubt continue to shine in future events.

Round Seven of the pennants continue on Saturday with a number of key matches being played. In the combined First and Second Grad, Park Beach Two's clash with Sawtell in a match that could determine the winner of the second grade flag. Sawtell have a four point lead going into today's round and could sew up the flag with a win today. Park Beach have kept themselves in the hunt all season, and will be banking on the home advantage to help them reverse the result of the two sides first clash in round two.

All six sides are still in the hunt in Grade Four, however the crunch match of the weekend will be between equal leaders Nambucca Heads and Sawtell, Nambucca having the distinct advantage of playing at home.
In section one of Grade Five, Bowraville have a chance to snatch the section from Macksville when they play their postponed match against Urunga. Any win will give them the section and the opportunity to play section two winners Bellingen for the district flag.

Sunday will see Park Beach host the annual Under 45's clash between  Mid North Coast and Lower North Coast. Strong performances in this event have in the past resulted in many young guns gaining their selection in the open representative team for the Kelly Shield played in June.
The last two years has seen MNC crush their rivals, however LNC will be looking to reverse that this year, and with state representative Shane Globits leading their team they will be confident of reversing the previous years results.

Good luck to all involved on both days...

Chippy

Weekend Wrap Up for 2nd and 3rd April

Pennants Round Six
Grade Seven was the first of the district flags decided in the 2011 MNC pennant competition with Nambucca Heads surviving a last round loss to take out the grade, just 3 points ahead of Macksville. Bowraville and Woolgoolga both have a game in hand to be played however the result of this match will have no bearing on the winner of this grade. The Nambucca side will have a few weeks up their sleeves to prepare for the zone final against the Lower North Coast Champions which will be held in June.

Grade Five is also almost decided, with Bellingen sewing up section two, whilst in section one Macksville missed their opportunity to sew up section one, the team now sweating on the result of the postponed match between Bowraville and Urunga. Bowraville only needs a draw overall to steal the section thanks to Macksville being clean sheeted in their final match against Stuarts Point.

In the combined First and Second Grade, the top three sides all managed victories over the bottom three sides, ensuring that for West Coffs, Urunga, and Coffs ex Services the season is all now only about survival. Park Beach Ones regained outright top spot with their six to nil victory, now one point ahead of Sawtell, Park Beach Two's a further four points back.

In Grade Three, Nambucca increased their overall lead to two and a half points whilst in Grade Four the three bottom placed sides all upset the three higher rated sides to keep everyone in with a chance with just four rounds remaining. Finally in Grade Six, Coffs Ex Services have opened a six point buffer and West Coffs moved back into second place, courtesy of both posting wins on all rinks in their respective clashes.

Round Seven is scheduled for this coming Saturday...

Mid North Coast Pairs
Eight teams remain after the opening rounds were played at Woolgoolga on Sunday, with six clubs being represented in the quarter finals of the open event. Reigning  champion Rod Hiscock and Partner Stuart Hartigan were an early casualty, falling to local duo Dave Valentine and Shayne Dodd in the opening round. The Woolgoolga duo will meet Josh Shearim and Mark Delamere from the Bellingen club for a place in the semi finals. Sawtell's David Miles and Ben Proctor have made their presence felt, upsetting prolific winners Rod Farmer and Alan Carver to earn their place in the next round. They will face off against locals B Carter and I Brien. As predicted, Stuarts Point young guns Jake Jefferey and Andy King have made the most of their chances to advance, the duo set to play the Scotts Head entrants Vic Mankin and Hagop Aladjadjian. The match of the round however will be the clash between the two remaining Park Beach sides, namely John Bain and Ric Southam against Mark Menzies and Cory Daley. The two sides have amassed an incredible 106 shots between them in the opening two rounds showing they both are here to win. Bain and Southam's form in the pennant season probably sees them as the favourites overall to take out this event,  however all teams left in the event deserve to rate themselves a chance..

In the Senior Pairs, early favourites Wayne Rowbottom and Col Pritchard fell to Doug Burridge and Aden Pike in what was the major upset of the day. Burridge and Pike will play against Phil Toy and Don Wood in a match that is expected to have a major bearing on the overall result. Sawtell are very well represented in the final eight, with sides skippered by Paul Bartholomew, Barry Brown, Ian Muller and J Townsend still alive. the last two sides are skippered by Terry Kadwell (Park Beach) and John Porteus (Scotts Head).

The President's Pairs has reached the semi final stage, with four different clubs in the mix. In the first semi final G Tindall & J Bishop from Coffs ex Services will play M Nugent and A Peterson from Urunga. In semi final two B Griffiths and R White from Park Beach will clash with Woolgoolga's R Goodsir and D Gambrill. The Woolgoolga duo's experience probably has them as slight favourites however Park Beach's side has impressed in their two early matches....

Play in the pairs events will be suspended this weekend to make way for the Under Forty Fives representative clash against Lower North Coast. The next rounds are scheduled at various clubs on Sunday 17th April...

Til Next Time....

Chippy 

Weekend Preview for April 2nd & 3rd...

The upcoming weekend will see Round Six of the 2011 Pennant season played Saturday, and all four district pairs disciplines commencing on Sunday.
In the Pennants, the match of the round will be the clash between equal leaders Sawtell and last start winners West Coffs. West kept their season alive last week with their victory over Park Beach Ones and they will be desperate to avenge their opening round loss to Sawtell in this clash. For Sawtell, this match represents a great chance to take the combined first and second grade by the scruff of the neck. Playing at home they will be hard to beat, but based on last weeks result, West Coffs are certainly capable of bringing them back to earth...

In the open Pairs event hosted by Woolgoolga, West Coffs bowler Rod Hiscock will be aiming to claim his third successive district pairs crown. Successful in 2009 with partner Stuart Hartigan and in 2010 with Kent Price, Hiscock has reunited with Hartigan in his bid for a hat trick. The duo will be the team to beat, closely followed by Park Beach pairing John Bain and Ric Southam. Other teams to watch include local duo Dave Valentine and Shayne Dodd, and West Coffs brothers Shaun and Martin Wilson. Watch out for Stuarts Point young guns Jake Jeffery and Andy King, who would be the dark horses of the event.

In the senior pairs hosted by West Coffs, former state champions Wayne Rowbottom and Col pritchard will once again go in as favourites, however they will face stiff competition from teams skippered by Grahame Purvis, Laurie Morris and Ray O'Keefe.

At Sawtell, M Reimer and Chris Habgood will start favourites, however there is no shortage of quality teams with a big chance as well. And finally in the junior pairs being played at Macksville, just four teams are lining up, the side comprising Josh Forbes and Corey Wedlock from Urunga being the team to beat.

Good luck to all involved!

Til Next time...

Chippy

District Fours and Junior Singles Finals

Laurie Morris added to his impressive tally of district titles when he skippered his Park Beach side of Neil Williams, John Bennett and Phil Toy to a 22-17 victory over Urunga's Brett Sinnott, Chris Forbes, Chris McDonnell and Brett McDonnell at Coffs Ex Services on Sunday. The nineteenth end proved decisive with both skippers converting the head, Urunga a chance of scoring a five and levelling the scores before Morris drew the shot which put his team over the line.
Urunga skip Brett McDonnell converted with his last to keep his team within three playing the last but it was not to be for the Urunga team this year. The success was especially sweet for Neil Williams, taking out his maiden district title.

In the District Junior Singles final Urunga turned the tables on Park Beach when Josh Forbes outdrew his Park Beach opponent Kenita Monks to claim his first district singles title. The match was close for the most part however Forbes always held the ascendancy and pulled away over the final ends as Monks searched for a way back into the match. Forbes will play Jai Whelan in the zone final.

Next Sunday will see the commencement of the District Open, Junior, Senior and Presidents Pairs at numerous venues in the district.

Congrats to all winners!

Til Next Week...

Chippy

Round Five Pennant Results

West Coffs have kept their hopes of claiming the first grade flag alive with a hard fought victory over Park Beach in round five of the Mid North Coast Pennant. Trailing the ladder leaders by 13 points after just four matches the West Coffs side turned in their best performance of the year, edging out their rivals 4-2. Sawtell and Park Beach seconds both capitalised on Park Beach Ones defeat, Sawtell ending Urunga's season with a 6-0 victory, and Park Beach Two's taking out a 5-1 victory against Coffs Ex Services. As a result, Sawtell now lead overall on 22 points with a superior for and against over Park Beach Ones, who are also on 22 points. Parky two's are three points further back whilst West Coffs and Coffs Ex Services remain in the hunt on 11 points.

In Grade Three, the narrow 4-2 home victory over Woolgoolga by Park Beach has kept both sides in the hunt, both now within 3 points of leaders Nambucca Heads who had the bye.
Sawtell and Nambucca Heads moved closer to the Fourth Grade flag with good wins on the weekend, Nambucca's victory over Woolgoolga the big result of the weekends matches.

Macksville sewed up Section One in Grade Five with one round remaining with their success over Bowraville whilst in Section Two Bellingen requires just one point in their last match to sew up a place in the sectional play off after a comfortable victory over last place Park Beach.

Coffs Ex Services and Park Beach have moved into first and second respectively after both posted 6-0 victories, Park Beach leap frogging West Coffs with their win. And in Grade Seven Nambucca crushed their nearest rival Woolgoolga to move to an almost unbeatable lead.

Cheers,

Chippy

Weekend Preview

With the grading round upon us this weekend, a number of clubs find themselves already in do or die matches...

In the combined grade 1 and 2 division, West Coffs, Urunga, and Coffs Harbour all find themselves in crunch matches. West Coffs host Park Beach, and if they are to be any chance this season they must find form and find it quick! Already trailing the leaders by 13 points, nothing but a victory will keep West Coffs chances alive. Park Beach will not get a better chance to eliminate one of their rivals and have named a full strength team for the clash.
Urunga find themselves in a similar predicament when they travel to Sawtell. Winless this season so far, the 2010 grade three premiers have been close twice but now need to find themselves on the right side of the big board. Sawtell having suffered their only loss in their last start will be hoping to bounce back and sure up their place as second on the ladder.
Finally Coffs Ex Services wil be looking to keep their momentum going having won two of their last three, when they host Park Beach two's. Written off at the start of the season, they are still in the mix for both the overall and grade two title, but with Sawtell and Park Beach two's above them, another loss will make things very difficult for the Coffs boys. Parky two's will be hoping to keep the pressure firmly on Sawtell with another victory after their impressive defeat of West Coffs in round four.

The match of the round in Grade Three will be Park Beach playing host to Woolgoolga. Both sides are within six points of ladder leaders Nambucca Heads who have the bye this week. Nambucca host Woolgoolga in Grade Four, with both trailing Sawtell by a point after the opening rounds. Of all the flags, this grade appears to be the closest!

Bowraville and Macksville's clash in Grade 5.1 should determine the winner of that section. A 5-1 victory or better to Macksville will guarantee they reach the flag playoff. In Grade 5.2, Bellingen can almost sew up their section with a win over last place Park Beach, while Woolgoolga and Sawtell will battle to keep their respective chances alive going into the final round.

In Grade Six the top three sides play the bottom three sides in what is turning out to be an interesting season for all involved. Whilst in Grade Seven, leaders Nambuca host second placed Woolgoolga in what will be the penultimate round. Although, as Woolgoolga and Bowraville have a game in hand, it is Woolgoolga who has the flag at their mercy...

Good luck to all teams...

Chippy