Park Beach Club Triples

The final of the club triples at Park Beach came down to the final bowl of the 25th end. And it was a cracker to boot!
After being the better team for the majority of the match, Kali Roraduri, Ron Sprudd and Rummy Cutmore found themselves two up on the scoreboard, but after some great bowls from the opposition, being Peter Wirth, Graeme Colman and Aden Pike, were three down at the head, with just one bowl to play. Rummy stepped on the mat and with no fear at all drove at the three shot target and promptly removed two of the three bowls to claim a one shot success.
Kali played a match that contradicts his short time in the sport consistently setting up the head for his team mates, and was ably supported by his team mates. However the best player on the green was on the losing side, with Aden Pike playing countless last bowl saves to keep his team in the match.

For all three bowlers on the winning team this is their first club triples at Park Beach. Cutmore has won titles at other clubs but having been at Park Beach for only six months it is his last at his new home. Sprudd has been bowling for many years and can now lay claim to a major. For Roraduri this adds to yet another feather to his cap in what has been an exceptional rookie season. Kali also boasts a district pennant flag and the clubs Tyro singles title for the 2012 year.

More club results from around the district as they come to hand...

Cheers,

Chippy

Park Beach Men's Pairs results

September saw Park Beach host the annual men's pairs carnival with $3000.00 up for grabs.
Only a handful of sides managed to win all their matches and with prize money paying to sixth place one loss didn't necessarily mean you were out of he running.
Results were:
1st: J Grant & Tony Boulton
2nd: Phil Toy & Dennis Brown
3rd: Chris Adams & PT Clarke
4th: Jeff Flynn & Tony Wills
5th: Geoff Sutcliffe & Jim Swan
6th: A Davies & Rod Hiscock

Grant and Boulton upstaged their "higher rated" opponents to claim the well deserved first prize after defeating a number of first grade players in the matches.

Til Next Time...

Chippy

Club Champ Results (well overdue!!)

With the major events such as Singles and Pairs completed for the year, focus turns in most clubs to the more team oriented events such as club Fours and Triples, Minor and also mixed events.

 The Nambucca Heads Triples Final was played on Sunday 24/6 with the following results:

Winners

Grant Lawrence, Mick Ellison & Tony Urquhart

Runners Up

Chris Evans, Keven Smith & Ian Poletti.

 

The win comes as no surprise given the top form of Tony Urquhart over the past nine months.

 

At West Coffs two Events have recently concluded, with the Minor Singles decider falling in the favour of Barry Hall over Frank Chetcuti 31-20.

The Mixed Pairs finals saw Lee and Paul North defeat Marlene and  Ron Leonard 20-18 in a very close contest. A top final was always on the cards after both sides defeated both of last years finalists in the semi finals.

 

Finally, at Park Beach, there is a highly anticipated Club Triples final scheduled on the 06/10 with Pete Wirth, Graeme Colman & Aden Pike up against Kali Roraduri, Barry Griffiths and Rummy Cutmore. Either way a rookie will claim a rare first season club title with Pete and Kali both new to the sport but both very much addicted to our wonderful game.

 

That's all for now, but more to come shortly!

 

Cheers,

 

Chippy

2012 C/CC District Results

The 2012 District Champion of Club Champion Singles and Pairs has been run and won at the C-ex Woolgoolga club during August.

The Singles was disappointing with only six of the district's champions entering, nonetheless those that did compete produced some top class bowls. West Coffs Andy Campbell reached the final after a win over North Beach's Ian Machon. His opponent would be Nambucca's Tony Urquhart who survived a tough encounter against Shayne Dodd in what was arguably the match of the event.
Tony carried on his good form to take out the final over Andy and book a place in the zone final.

The Pairs was the next event with a slightly better roll up, with nine sides entering. The first semi final saw father and son combination Glenn and Corey Wedlock up against Sawtell's Noel Stahlut (subbing for injured Neil Davison) and Graham Green, the Sawtell pair getting over the line by just one shot. Local hopes Dave Valentine and Shayne Dodd battled with Daryl and Grant Lawrence in the second semi final who had been impressive in their earlier victory over the Urunga champions. The locals prevailed in another tough match, advancing courtesy of a five shot margin.
Last years runners up, being Valentine and Dodd, went into the decider the favourites however it was to be yet another year as bridesmaids for the locals, as Stahlut and Green took out the title with a nine shot win.

The zone finals of these events were held last Saturday. At this stage only the results of the singles is known.
Unfortunately Tony ran into a red hot Peter Taylor from Kempsey Heights and was defeated. The loss however was against a quality opponent, Taylor reaching the state final of this event in 2008.

Pairs result will be posted once known.

Results

Singles:

Qtr finals
S Dodd Def M Hopper 31-16
I Machon Def A Grogan 31-15

Semi Finals
T Urquhart Def S Dodd 31-27
A Campbell Def I Machon 31-20

Final
T Urquhart Def A Campbell 31-16

Zone Final
P Taylor Def T Urquhart 31-12

Pairs

Rd 1
A Peterson & J Bradley Def G Machielse & B Ingle 27-11

Qtr Finals
G & C Wedlock Def V Mankin & H Aladjadjian 25-20
N Stahlut & G Green Def J Bain & C Daley 23-16
D Valentine & S Dodd Def G Blom & P Hyde 19-18
D & G Lawrence Def A Peterson & J Bradley 21-13

Semi Finals (skips only)
G Green Def C Wedlock 19-18
S Dodd Def G Lawrence 20-15

Final
G Green Def S Dodd 26-17


Cheers,

Chippy

State Pennants Finals 2012

The two MNC clubs that advanced to the state finals both failed to advance to the semi finals however put in strong performances and did the district proud.

Park Beach found themselves against former premier league club Raymond Terrace Jets in round one, with the Jets getting out of the hangars quickly to hand the Parky boys a sound beating. The side bounced back in round two against Avoca beach with a twenty two shot victory. For the Park beach side to advance they needed to soundly beat Alexandria Erskineville in round three and see the Jets also suffer a loss by a significant margin. Unfortunately neither occurred, the Jets advancing to the semi finals. Erskineville is fast becoming a traditional rival of the Parky boys, the two sides having now faced each other at three consecutive state finals, with Erskineville leading the head to head 2-1.

Nambucca travelled to Tuncurry with a side that many felt could take out the flag. And the side backed up their supporters faith with a strong opening victory over The Greens the Entrance. Round two saw much of the same when they claimed their second win, this time over Lismore Heights. In round three they faced tournament favourites Cowra, who were spearheaded by former State and National player Gerard Beath. Despite putting in a great effort, Cowra prevailed and went on the reach the final.

Both Park Beach and Nambucca Heads have a number of younger or improving bowlers in their ranks ensuring that this years results will be improved on in years to come.

The best result for Zone Fourteen came in Grade Six with Crescent Head taking out the flag. Although a State Flag is a major achievement in any grade, it has to be noted that the side contains Joel Bourke and a number of other high grade players, so anything less than at least the state final would really have been seen as an under achievement.

Cheers,

Chippy

Park Beach Aero Singles - Local Makes History

Johnny Bain has become the first ever local to take out the Park beach Open Singles with a clinical display on the final two days of the event.
The first three days saw the field whittled from One Hundred and Twenty players to just a final Thirty Two. Local bowlers stepped up in the qualifying with Johnny Bain, Jim Swan, Cory Daley and Brett Sinnott from Park Beach joined by Sawtell's Greg Cridge in the final thirty two.
Former winners of this event such as Brodie Pitham, Kelvin Kerkow, Sam Laguzza and Jeremy Henry also made the cut as well as big guns Shane Garvey, Dave Fergusson, Nathan Wise, Paul Girdler, Ian Taylor and Ben Twist.
After a blind draw to determine the sections, the bowlers squared off for a place in the final eight. Julio Posadas was beaten in his final match to allow Sam Laguzza to win section one. Paul Girdler had three tough wins to take section two. Johnny Bain caused the first big surprise, defeating Kelvin Kerkow in round one, then winning a tough match against Glen Raymond to claim section three.
Matt Sargeant played off for section four against Phil Westcott, Sargeant winning by one. Section five saw Kempsey Heights bowler Peter Taylor come from behind on three occasions to advance tot the finals whilst in section six Queenslander Peter Leon managed two big wins to sneak through on for and against ahead of David Ferguson. Cory Daley used the home green advantage to advance in section seven and in section eight Shane Garvey battled through to give himself another shot at one of the few titles to have eluded him.
The quarter finals saw Laguzza against Girdler, Bain vs Sargeant, Taylor facing off against Leon and Garvey playing Daley.
Shane Garvey reeled off fifteen unanswered shots to ensure a ten shot victory over Daley to move into the semis. He would play Leon who held off Taylor to win by five. Bain was methodical in his disposal of Sargeant whilst Laguzza won a nail biter against Girdler.
The semi finals almost saw an amazing comeback after Leon opened up a 21-3 lead over Garvey, who then fought back to get to twenty three shots before Leon finally closed the match out. Bain and Laguzza went toe to toe in a marathon match. Bain scored an unlikely four to steal the match and a place in his second final.
The final between Bain and Leon saw the ascendancy change numerous times with both players looking like they would charge away with the match only to see the other fight back with some great conversion shots. With both players on the spring board, it was Bain who held his nerve to claim his maiden  Aero Open Singles crown, much to the delight of the home crowd.

That's all for now however a new post will be up soon with some local club championship results.

Chippy

West Coffs Triples Results

In an exciting finish, eight teams finished with four wins from their five matches in the West Coffs Classic Triples.
Two consistent performances on the Sunday saw Park Beach side Brett Sinnott, Rod Farmer and Mark Menzies sneak home ahead of the pack to claim the $1320.00 first prize after the previously undefeated sides skippered by Graham Tindall and Col Curtis both suffered defeats in round four.
Tindall bounced back with a win in round five which enabled his side to hold on to second place whilst Laurie Morris and side finished in third.
The tournament by all accounts was run extremely well and with only a modest entry fee which included lunch both days and prize money to sixth place plus round winners it is amazing that the event didn't receive more entries. More so it was disappointing to see a lack of patronage from some of the other local clubs, two in particular with their own annual tournaments being held within the next two months which I'm sure will be reliant on entries from outside of their own club to be a success.
There used to be a time when club championships would be put on hold in order for bowlers to support other clubs tournaments, however that doesn't seem to be the case in a number of clubs now. Maybe it is a communication issue, from either the host club, or from other clubs organisers to their members. Either way it is hoped that this trend can be reversed so that good events like this don't fall by the way side and instead can prosper and get back to their former glory.
Congrats to West Coffs on a well run event and also to the winners.

Full results:
1st: M. Menzies   40 pts + 38
2nd: G. Tindall    40pts + 34
3rd: L. Morris     40pts + 34
4th: P. Taylor      40pts + 32
5th: C. Curtis      40pts + 25
6th: S. Hartigan  40 pts + 24

West Coffs Triples update

 The opening three rounds of the annual West Coff Triples got underway yesterday in glorious conditions. Numbers were down this year however a number of quality teams have still entered.
After three rounds only two teams remain undefeated. Leading the way is Graham Tindall's side who also have a margin of 31 shots. They will be joined by the winners of a match not finished due to fading light. Col Curtis and Rob Wardrop will play their final two ends this morning with the scores locked at 14-14, the winner to assume second position before round four begins.
Current top eight:

Graham Tindall: 30pts +31
*Col Curtis: 20pts (result to change)
*Rob Wardrop - 20pts (result to change)
Laurie Morris: 20pts +22
Mark Menzies: 20pts +21
Marty Wilson: 20pts + 18
Peter Taylor: 20pts +12
Dennis Brown: 20pts +10

More results as they come to hand...

Chippy

June Results

Two major events have occurred since my last posting, being the annual Kelly Shield clash, and the zone championships. We'll start with the Kelly Shield played at North Haven where unfortunately our district side was outpointed comfortably by the Lower North Coast.
The side was in contention for the the best part of the match, thanks mostly to the rinks of Ric Southam and Aden Pike, however by the close of play the LNC team had run away with the shield. Overall the team had performed well but was unable to cover the twenty six shot thrashing received by Cory Daley. The MNC must have done somthing right though with at least half of the players name in the zone's Pat Geary Shield side hailing from the MNC.

A number of the districts big guns returned to North Haven a week later to contest the zone championships. The following is courtesy of dsecretary Ian Weldon:

The Zone finals were held at North Haven this weekend in sunny, but cool conditions. Due to multiple winners the matches were spread over Saturday and Sunday. There were a lot of good bowls played and some close matches. Congratulations to all the winners, and to the runners up well done, and remember you are still your District’s champions.

Fours: John Bain, Mark Menzies, Rick Southam and Cory Daley (Park Beach) 20 defeated Jeff Fathers, Greg Brims, Peter Stockham and Peter Taylor (Westport) 17. Cory’s side got off to a slow start, however clawed their way back before taking out the title.
Triples: Carrying on their good form from the morning John Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley (Park Beach) retained their 2011 Zone triples title by defeating Col Baldwin, Keith Martin and Greg Brims (Westport) 21 to 13.
Pairs: In another titanic battle Col Baldwin and Peter Stockham (Westport) proved victorious over John Bain and Rick Southam (Park Beach) winning 22 – 18.
Singles: Cory Daley (Park Beach) 31 defeated Scott Franklin (Kempsey Heights) 21 to take out his third Zone title for the weekend, and retain the Zone singles title from last year.

Senior Singles: Ken Paulsen (Westport) 31 defeated last years Zone Senior singles winner Phil Toy (Park Beach) 20.
Senior Pairs: John Hurrell and Aden Pike (Park Beach) 26 defeated Robert Dykes and Laurie Dodd (Kempsey Heights) 14 to record another win together since joining Park Beach this year.

President’s Reserve Singles: Jeff Thorn (Nambucca Heads) 31 defeated Garry Lawer (Port City) 18.
President’s Reserve Pairs: In a hard fought game Jim Eccleston and Gary Russell (Port City) picked up a 3 on the final end to defeat Bruce Moore (sub for Jim Bishop) and Graham Tindall (Coffs Harbour Ex Services) 20 – 18.

We wish all the winners the best in their various State Playoff events to be held at Soldiers Point during 13 to 21 October.

Cheers,

Chippy

Daley Claims Rare "Threepeat" in Open Singles

Park Beach bowler Cory Daley has battled through a long and tough day to claim a piece of Mid North Coast history, being the first bowler to ever win three consecutive MNC District Open Singles titles. Playing at his home club on Saturday Cory battled through a quarter and semi final before besting Sawtell's P.T Clarke in the final.

The day started with three of the quarter finals to be completed, with the winners to join Rod Hiscock in the final four. P.T Clarke was the first to advance, continuing on from where he had left off against Steve Plumb to record a convincing victory. Daley also held his earlier obtained advantage in the washed out match to advance again Martin Wilson. Finally Brett Sinnott and Dan Gilmore played out an enthralling clash. Sinnott started the day with an eight shot buffer, however Gilmore came out of the blocks quickly and made up the ground he had earlier conceded. With the match in the balance, Gilmore played an unfortunate bowl which turned in a second shot for Sinnott, allowing him to steal a one shot victory. Gilmore may count himself unlucky, however he should take pride in his effort to fightback against a quality opponent such as Brett.

The semi finals saw Clarke pitted against Hiscock, and Daley playing Sinnott. A semi finalist in 2011, Hiscock was again denied a place in the final by a Sawtell opponent, with Clarke proving too consistent, outpointing Rod to move into his first singles final in the MNC district.
Daley had jumped to a commanding 29-14 lead against Sinnott before Brett mounted a late charge, reaching 22 shots before Daley closed out the match.

The final was always going to be a tough encounter, with both bowlers having plenty to play for. For Clarke, this match signalled what could be his last competitive game of bowls before retiring from the game indefinitely. Clarke has won district singles in two other districts prior to moving to the Mid North Coast and was looking to add to his collection. Daley was aiming for his fourth title in five years, and the honour of becoming the first bowler according to the record books to win three titles in a row.

Clarke appeared to be playing the better bowls in the early exchanges however Daley was able to neutralise this with his last bowl saving the day on a number of occasions. As the match wore on, the tide turned in Daley's favour and he continued on to secure the title.

Daley will now clash with Scott Franklin from the Kempsey Heights club for the zone championship at North Haven on Sunday the 24th of June

Thorn Takes Out Presidents Singles

Jeff Thorn from the strong Nambucca Heads club has managed a hard fought win in the final of the MNC Presidents Singles against Park Beach's Mario Muscat.
Thorn had earlier received a forfeit from club mate Aaron Gittoes, whilst Muscat had a battle royal against C Evans to reach the decider.
Jeff will now compete next weekend at North Haven against the LNC champion for a place at the state finals.

Final Results:
Semi Finals:
J Thorn Def A Gittoes WOF
M Muscat Def C Evans 31-27

Final:
Jeff Thorn Def Mario Muscat 31-21

Cheers,

Chippy

Ken Howard Memorial Fours

The June long weekend saw the the 36th running of the the popular invitation tournament. Due to wet weather the winners had to be determined based on the semi finals and five rounds of sectional play. Thanks to Ken Rostron for the following results:

Winners

Leads 1st Glen Wedlock James Cook Tony Potter and Gary Pearson $4000.00 Bondi/West Coffs

Second

Matt Prideaux Greg Hogg Beau Prideaux Mark Phillips $2000.00 Cabramatta

Third

Peter Meehan Len McIntire Richie Clutterbuck Chris Brodbeck $980.00 Armidale City

Fourth

Glenn Graham Jake Graham Steve Fuller Todd Fuller $680.00 Armidale City

 

Section Two Winners

Peter Hill Ron Meadows Roy Chatterton Ralph Fair $660.00 Lake Cargelligo

Second

Russell Johns Mick Ellison Mino Bettanin Wally Wallbank $480.00 Nambucca Heads/Armidale

Third

John McCollom David Ogolvy Gavin Holburn Peter Foster $320.00 St Johns Park/Nambucca

Fourth

Paul Obrien gaven Burns Warren Catt Graeme Purvis $260.00 Sawtell

 

Section Three

1.Craig Kelly Adam Davies Jon Wright Rod Farmer  Park Beach/Nambucca

2.Billy Johnson Reg Hoade Trent Goggin Rocky Davis /Belrose

3.Basil Turnbull Brian Doosrey Ian Grieg Ken Russell /Dungog

4.Mitch Foster Jesse Herbert Ron Herbert Mick Callaghan / Kurri Kurri

 

Triples Winner on Fridays prelude were

Gino Vitaliani Chris Delboux Harry Boston / Macksville/Bowraville

 

Cheers,

 

Chippy

Toy Defends Senior Singles Crown

In blustery conditions Phil Toy has proven himself a true champion defending his Mid North Coast District Senior Singles title, winning a hard fought final against club mate Laurie Morris at Sawtell Bowling Club yesterday.
The day commenced with the semi finals which saw Toy against local hope Ray Cridge whilst Morris was pitted against new club mate Noel Condon, who had moved to the area late last year and has already proven himself as a quality bowler. Morris however has been one of the toughest competitors on the coast for more than a decade and handled the windy conditions well enough to overcome Condon on this occasion.
Cridge was unable to keep the locals hopes of securing the title alive, losing a tough contest with Toy.
In what was a classic final, Toy kept Morris off the prestigious winners board, which has only three names on it across eight years, winning the final by three shots to claim his third crown. The win has him just one behind Col Pritchard on the all time winners list, Pritchard scoring for trophies in this discipline before moving north. The only other name on the winners list is that of Paul Parramore, who won the crown in 2010.
All four bowlers should be commended on their efforts in what must have been atrociously windy conditions.
Attention this weekend will be squarely focused on the semi and final of the Presidents Singles at Woolgoolga and on the annual Ken Howard Fours tournament at Nambucca Heads.

Results:
Semi Finals
Laurie Morris (Park Beach) Def Noel Condon (PB) 31-16
Phil Toy (PB) Def Ray Cridge (Sawtell) 31-21

Final
Phil Toy Def Laurie Morris 31-28

District Singles wash out

Mother Nature played havoc with today's quarter and semi finals across the three district singles events being held on the Mid North Coast.
Not a bowl was played in the semi finals of the Senior Singles at Sawtell due to the heavy rain. It is believed these matches will now be played on this coming Wednesday with the final still to be played next Saturday.
At Woolgoolga the semi finals were commenced before rain took over. Park Beach's Mario Muscat had the better of the early going against Nambucca's Chris Evans, leading 10-7 at close of play. It is believed that the other semi final was not commenced due to a controversial forfeiture... more on this as it develops.
In the Open Singles at Park Beach around ninety minutes was played before matches were abandoned. This time was all it took however for Coffs Ex Services member Rod Hiscock to book a semi final berth, defeating Heinz Burchgart 31-10. At this stage he is the only bowler through to the final four. At the close of play Brett Sinnott was handling the wet conditions better than Dan Gilmore, holding a 20-12 lead. P.T Clarke got out of the blocks very quickly against Steve Plumb, however Plumb was starting to claw back some ground, Clarke taking a 18-9 advantage into the break. Finally Cory Daley was also having the best of the conditions against Martin Wilson, finishing with a 20-8 scoreline.
The completion date scheduled for these matches and ensuing rounds haven't been confirmed as of yet however it is expected to be this coming Saturday as this was the date originally scheduled for the final.

Results to Date:
Senior Singles:
Rd 2:
N Condon Def T Titmus 31-17
G Purvis Def B Garner
L Morris Def A Suttey 31-7
B Bain Def J Franck 31-25
R Cridge Def P Smith 31-21
G Horne Def G Campbell 31-10
P Toy Def Q Dalrymple 31-16
N Williams Def J Townsend 31-24

Quarter Finals:
N Condon Def G Purvis 31-30
L Morris Def B Bain 31-24
R Cridge Def G Horne 31-19
P Toy Def N Williams 31-25

Presidents Singles:
Rd 2:
R White Def R Towner 31-23
J Thorn Def B Metham 31-20
C Cooper Def M Clarke 31-18
A Gittoes Def P Smith 31-17
P Harber Def R Harris 31-26
M Muscat Def G Burns 31-26
C Evans Def M Howlin 31-23
C Amos Def A Baker 31-14

Quarter Finals:
J Thorn Def R White 31-21
A Gittoes Def C Cooper 31-13
M Muscat Def P Harber 31-19
C Evans Def C Amos 31-21

Semi Finals progress score..
J Thorn Def A Gittoes WOF
M Muscat leads C Evans 10-7

Open Singles:
Rd 2:
H Katala Def I Weldon 31-26
P.T Clarke Def S Dodd 31-8
E Whittaker Def J Wynter 31-12
H Burchgart Def S Alford 31-26
R Hiscock Def M Nugent 31-23
C Wedlock Def R Farmer 31-23
D Gilmore Def D Miles 31-27
M Wilson Def T Urquhart 31-22
C Wills Def C Adams 31-29
G Cridge Def G Colman 31-14
C Daley Def T Greenshields 31-7

Rd 3:
P.T Clarke Def H Katala 31-25
S Plumb Def J Shearim 31-13
H Burchgart Def E Whittaker 31-28
R Hiscock Def G Spencer 31-24
B Sinnott Def C Wedlock 31-29
D Gilmore Def P Clarke 31-17
M Wilson Def C Wills 31-19
C Daley Def G Cridge 31-19

Quarter Finals Progress scores:
P.T Clarke leads S Plumb 18-9
R Hiscock Def H Burchgart 31-10
B Sinnott leads D Gilmore 20-12
C Daley leads M Wilson 20-8

Updates will be provided as they come to hand...

Chippy

District Singles - results so far

Phil Toy has remained on track to defend his MNC Senior Singles crown after defeating two club mates on his way to the semi final. His opponent is the last man standing for host club Sawtell, being Ray Cridge who earned his place with a win over Urunga's Grahame Horne. On the other side of the draw Park Beach team mates Noel Condon and Laurie Morris will square off.

In the Presidents Singles at Woolgoolga, youngster Aaron Gittoes is still alive, the Nambucca teen set to play club mate J Thorn, after both defeated Park Beach bowlers to advance to the final four. Mario Muscat reversed the trend of Park Beach defeats to progress and will play yet another Nambucca representative Chris Evans. So Sunday will determine if the title travels to Nambucca or Park Beach.

Eight bowlers representing six clubs remain in contention in the Open Singles hosted by Park Beach. In the first quarter final, Sawtell's P.T Clarke will take on Park Beach's Steve Plumb. Urunga's Heinz Burchgart will play Coffs Ex Services skipper Rod Hiscock. Park Beach's second qualifier Brett Sinnott has earned a match against Nambucca young gun Dan Gilmore after her survived a close encounter with an even younger gun Corey Wedlock in the round of sixteen. Finally, West Coff's Martin Wilson will challenge reigning champion Cory Daley for a semi final berth.
The high quality of bowls on display today unfortunately was tainted by a number of late forfeits, and more disappointingly, a number of losing players shirking their marking responsibilities. It never ceases to amaze how many commitments seem to appear for certain people when beaten, but funnily enough not when they win. There is only one way to stamp this out, which is to fine the parties responsible.


Good Luck to those remaining in contention and playing tomorrow!

Chippy

2012 District Singles Continued

After this coming weekend the District Senior and Presidents Singles titles for 2012 will have a champion crowned and the Open singles will have it's two finalists.
Sixteen bowlers remain in the Seniors Singles being played at Sawtell. Reigning champ Phil Toy will be the man to beat. Other names to watch include Graham Horne, Ray Cridge, Laurie Morris and Graham Purvis.
In the Presidents singles at Woolgoolga only sixteen also remain in the hunt. The event is a breeding ground for future stars with bowlers generally newer to the game against some experienced hands. Bowlers of many different age groups are represented in the last sixteen including two juniors, being Sawtells Mitch Clarke and Nambucca's Aaron Gittoes. Gittoes did well earlier on the year in the Presidents pairs and will be hard to beat. Other bowlers who are big chances include Rick White and Col Amos. Match of the round could quite easily be the clash between J Thorn and B Metham.

The Open singles still has thirty bowlers remaining and it would be fair to say that the event is as strong as it has ever been with nearly every bowler remaining a serious chance of taking out the title. Every one of the match ups in the next round at Park Beach this Saturday have the potential to be a classic. Most notable of these would be P.T Clarke Vs Shayne Dodd, Graham Green Vs Steve Plumb, 2011 Presidents singles district winner Hans Katala Vs Ian Weldon, and young gun Corey Wedlock Vs Rod Farmer.
Tony Urquhart and Martin Wilson will be another great match as will the battle between two ex juniors, of slightly different eras being Cam Wills and Chris Adams. Many others will also be entertaining with spectators spoilt for choice.

Good Luck to all involved..

Chippy

Zone Pennant Finals 2012

Only two of the seven Mid North Coast Grades walked away with zone flags in a tough day at the office yesterday. Of the three grades played at Woolgoolga not one MNC side tasted success whilst the sides that travelled to North Haven fared better with two of the four grades earning a place at the state championships.
At Woolgoolga, Park Beach started well against their North Haven opponents in Grade Seven and were well in contention in the second half trailing by just two before North Haven kicked clear for the win.
North Beach performed well against Crescent Head in Grade Six however with ex state star Joel Bourke playing for them, the side from the LNC maintained a lead to the finish.
Kew got out of the blocks quickly in Grade Five not giving Coffs Ex Services any hope of taking advantage of the similar surface to their own club. Kew continued their dominance all the way to the last end to register a comfortable victory and book themselves a berth at the state finals.

At North Haven , the host club claimed its second zone flag for the day when they defeated Urunga in the Grade Four final.Urunga battled hard but with the home town support North Haven was too strong.
Kew also took a second flag, when they out muscled Coffs Ex Services in Grade Three. Coffs were in striking distance for the majority of the match but ran out of puff in the closing stages.

Finally in Grade Two there was something for the MNC to celebrate when Nambucca Heads came from a big way behind to claim the zone flag and will now travel to Tuncurry to contest that state finals. Nambucca have managed to keep a number of the side from the team that won the number three zone flag last year.
Park Beach surprised Westport in Grade One, dominating the final third of what was an intense clash until this point to win their fourth straight zone flag. The match was keenly contested with a large cache of supporters for the Lower North Coast however the strong finish from Parky kept the crowd relatively quiet. The side will now travel to The Entrance where they will hope to improve on last years effort which saw them win two from their three matches.

Attention will now turn back to the next rounds of the MNC singles to be played this Saturday and Sunday.

Cheers,

Chippy

District Singles continued...

Sunday saw the next rounds of the MNC Senior and Presidents Singles being played at Sawtell and Woolgoolga respectively.
Firstly the Senior Singles...
Phil Toy responded after his tough opening round encounter to assert his dominance in round two, dishing out a lesson to Sawtell's G Proctor. Other favoured bowlers Grahame Purvis, Laurie Morris and Ray Cridge have also advanced to the round of sixteen.

At Woolgoolga Paul Smith won a tough tussle with Nev Womersley to advance in the Presidents singles second round. Juniors Aaron Gittoes and Mitch Clarke also won close matches to reach the final sixteen. Former winner Mark Benham was bundled out by J Thorn in a surprise result.

Both of these events and the Open Singles will be on hold this weekend due to the Zone Pennant championships.

Round Two Results:

Seniors:
N Condon Def B Meadows 31-14
T Titmus Def R Stokes 31-28
G Purvis Def R Sharp 31-22
L Morris Def G Morrin 31-12
B Bain Def D Gambrill 31-15
J Franck Def A Taylor 31-16
P Smith Df N Thomas 31-21
G Campbell Def R Sprudd 31-27
G Horne Def N McClelland 31-7
P Toy Def G Proctor 31-2
Q Dalrymple Def J Brown 31-22
J Townsend Def B Saville (score not provided)
N Williams Def J Hurrell (score not provided)

Presidents:
R White Def J Tainsh 31-24
B Metham Def H Marriott 31-25
J Thorn Def M Benham 31-24
M Clarke Def K Roraduri 31-28
C Cooper Def T Stokes 31-26
A gittoes Def G Tindall 31-26
P Smith Def N Womersely 31-28
P Harber Def G Inwood 31-26
R Harris Def L Allen 31-27
G Burns Def J Smith 31-30
M Howlin Def Cory Amos 31-8
C Evans Def B Gardiner 31-10

Cheers

Chippy

District Singles opening rounds..

The final thirty two has been decided in the Open Singles after a tough days play at Park Beach. Greg Cridge and Cory Daley both sent warnings to the rest of the field with big wins whilst Chris Adams also performed well in his opening clash. Former zone junior champion Cameron Wills struggled to close out his match but has managed to advance whilst in the match of the round Tony Greenshields finished the stronger against Barry Smith. The round of thirty two will be played on the 2nd of July at Park Beach.

In the Senior Singles at Sawtell, reigning champ Phil Toy had a battle on his hands against Vic Mankin before finishing strongly to advance. Other winners include Brian Saville and John Hurrell. The next round in this event is to be played tomorrow morning. Prediction for match of the round will be Ray Cridge up against Charlie Attard.

Woolgoolga is hosting the Presidents Singles were today round one was completed and two round two matches were scheduled owing to lack of green space for a full round tomorrow. At the conclusion of play the players to advance were West Coffs members Anthony Baker and Col Amos. They join Mario Muscat in the third round after Mario received a forfeit. Round Two will be completed tomorrow morning.

Good Luck to all involved....

Results.
Open Singles:
C Daley Def G Wedlock 31-10
T Greenshield Def B Smith 31-24
G Cridge Def S Kennedy 31-10
C Wills Def G Haskew 31-26
C Adams Def M Reimer 31-20

Senior Singles
J Hurell Def A Berry 31-22
J Townsend Def P Brown 31-21
B Saville Def R O'Keefe 31-18
B Clay Def J Brown 31-13
P Toy Def V Mankin 31-23

Presidents Singles
Round One
A Baker Def G Chalmers 31-15
A Gordon Def W Colins 31-13
C Amos Def O Smith 31-13
Round Two
A Baker Def P O'Brien 31-20
C Amos Def A Gordon 31-26

Cheers,

Chippy

District Singles kicks off Saturday!

The 2012 District Singles events kick off in earnest this Saturday at three different venues.

The Open Singles will see just five matches played this weekend at Park Beach owing to representative commitments. Defending champion Cory Daley will take on the unpredictable Glenn Wedlock in one of the opening clashes whilst another highly rated player being Greg Cridge will clash with Steve Kennedy. The clash of the opening round however could be the match up between Mark Reimer and Chris Adams. Both showed good form in the recent district triples and should be set for a big match.

Woolgoolga will host the Presidents Singles event, which is open to bowlers graded five or lower, and as such is probably the hardest to predict results in. Of the three matches scheduled for Saturday, the clash between Anthony Baker and Graeme Chalmers should be one to watch. Unlike the opens, which are only playing Saturday, round two will be played in the Presidents on Sunday morning. The player to watch in this event would be Nev Womersley who is drawn to play Paul Smith in round two.

Finally the Senior Singles will be played at Sawtell, where reigning champion Phil Toy will start as favourite but will have his work cut out for him with a tough encounter expected against Vic Mankin. Neil Williams and Paul Bartholomew will also be an interesting match up. Round two will also be played on Sunday before a two week hiatus.

Good luck to all involved this weekend.

Cheers,

Chippy

Pennant Seven Grade District Playoff

Park Beach 7.2's are celebrating a District flag after getting the best of their more fancied club mates being the 7.1's in today's sectional play off for the Grade Seven Flag played at their home club.

The match was one that swung both ways with the 7.2's getting an early break before the 7.1's put together a run of ends to take control of the big board moving into the final third of the game. Just as quickly the match changed direction again and with the ends running out the 7.2's were able to celebrate a 59-46 victory.
For a number of players in the team, this was a maiden district flag, with three in particular taking out a badge in their first season of Pennant. Congratulations Ray Pensch, Kali Roraduri and Greg Inwood, I'm sure this flag won't be the last you take home!

The side, like the winners of the other six grades will now prepare for the zone finals scheduled to be played in two weeks at two different venues. North Haven will host the First four Grades whilst Woolgoolga will host the five to seven grades.

Attention will now turn to the three district singles champions which will commence next Saturday.

Congrats to all flag winners on the Mid North Coast.

Cheers,

Chippy

MNC Triples Final 2012

The following is courtesy of Ian Weldon - District Secretary....

"Congratulations to John Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley from Park Beach who defeated Peter Clarke, Ian Weldon and P.T. Clarke from Sawtell 21 to 15 in a hard fought final to win the 2012 District Triples held at Macksville today. 

In a tightly contested final dominated by the two skips scores were level on 6 separate occasions, with scores 12 all after 19 ends – a total of 24 shots scored. 

Cory’s side picked up 5 shots on the next two ends, and despite picking up a 3 on the 22nd end to narrow the margin, P.T.’s team couldn’t bridge the gap and Cory’s side went on to retain the title they won last year.

The win gives John Bain the opportunity of scoring a rare grand slam of District events, having already won the fours and pairs, with only the singles to go.

We wish them all the best in the Zone playoffs to be played at North Haven over the weekend of June 23/24 against their opponents who are Col Baldwin, Keith Martin and Greg Brims from Westport.

On behalf of the District, and the players, many thanks to Macksville for all their efforts in the running of this event."

What Ian hasn't mentioned is that the match hung in the balance and was moving in favour of the Sawtell side until a fortuitous wick saved four shots for the Park Beach side when already trailing by three with nine ends remaining. The momentum seemed to shift after this end back to the defending champions who made every post a winner over the closing stages. The Park Beach side were quick to acknowledge the part this lucky result played in the context of the match as the final result could have differed greatly had this not occurred. Funny game this bowls...

All six should be commended on the good sportsmanship displayed and the high level of bowls exhibited proved very entertaining for the spectators who were present.

Congrats to the finalists on a great match!

Chippy

District Triples Qtr/Semi Results

Contrasting results seemed to be the order of the day last Sunday at Macksville as the quarter and semi finals of the MNC District Triples championship were played out in perfect conditions.
The morning saw eight teams line up hoping to advance to the semi finals. Laurie Morris and team were quick out of the blocks against Danny Knight, Athol Grogan and John Bradley. Morris and his team mates Brett Sinnott and Phil Toy never surrendered their early lead and recorded a 29-9 win.
Their opponents in the semi final would be the Sawtell combination of Peter Clarke, Ian Weldon and P.T Clarke, after they proved too good for club mates Neil Davidson, Graham Green and Paul Bartholomew, taking the honours 24-12.
The two other matches proved to be a bit tighter with the all Park Beach affair between reigning champs John Bain, Mark Menzies and Cory Daley against Doug Lambert, Chris Adams and Rex Holloway seeing the scores locked with three ends remaining. Experience saw the titleholders nail down the last three ends  to sneak through 22-17. Bellingen showed nerves of steel with the side Mark Reimer, Steve Alford and Chris "Happy" Habgood holding on to a slender lead against Josh Forbes, Terry Kadwell and Rod Farmer to win 20-18.
The semi's continued the contrasting results, with this time the two sides involved in the close results in the morning having anything but in the afternoon. Dropping nine shots in the first two ends of the match put Habgood's side behind the eight ball right from the start against Daley and co. The team wasn't able to recover with the Park Beach side shutting the gates early to advance 25-11. Morris and team seemed to be in control as the ground out a narrow lead against Clarke, however the Sawtell side proved the stronger over the final ends to lead by one playing the last and holding two shots with just the one bowl remaining. Morris however wasn't yet finished and drew to within an inch of the jack to secure a draw and an extra end. In the championship end however it was Ian Weldon who played a perfectly weighted trail shot to bury the jack in the ditch allowing the Park Beach skipper just eighteen inches to draw a match winner. Morris went close but not close enough, Sawtell advancing to the final.

It will be hard to choose a favourite in the final. The Sawtell side will be flying high after their intense semi final victory, but they will have to contend with a side hoping to defend their crown, and a man going for his third district title of the year, being Johnny Bain. The match is scheduled for 9am this Saturday at Macksville and should be a cracker!

Best of luck to the participants.

Chippy

Pennant Round Ten

Three more grades were decided in round ten last week with the last to be determined this coming Sunday.
The final round in the combined First and Second Grade division saw Sawtell, Park Beach seconds, and Urunga score victories, Urunga's win over West Coffs not enough to avoid relegation.

Woolgoolga secured second place in Grade Three defeating Park Beach whilst Scotts Head are relegated after losing their final match to Sawtell.
Grade Four saw Urunga claim the flag when they defeated nearest rivals Nambucca Heads. Sawtell collecting the wooden spoon in this grade.

Grade Five saw Coffs Ex Services get belted by Woolgoolga to give Bowraville a sniff however when Bowra also fell over to Macksville, the flag was secured for Coffs.
North Beach went into their last match needing just two points to secure the flag, and they did it by the skin of their teeth, playing out a draw on the big board to snare the title.
Finally in the two Grade Seven sections, it was Park Beach who came up trumps, taking both sections.

In section one Sawtell thought they had done enough with a 4-2 victory over Nambucca however Park Beach managed a clean sweep of Macksville to steal the section by just half a point. In section two Parky travelled to Urunga hoping to protect a narrow two and a half point lead. A three rinks to nil win guaranteed them the section and now club mates will become foes when the two section winners go head to head to earn the right to call themselves district champions.
Good luck to all involved this mothers day.

Chippy

Pennants Round Nine Results

As posted earlier, the first three grades have been determined after round nine. Park Beach closed out Grade One with a win over West Coffs whilst Nambucca confirmed the Grade Two flag when they defeated Urunga and nearest rivals Park Beach seconds fell to Sawtell.
Coffs Ex Services ensured themselves at least one of two likely flags this season when their Third Grade side put the finishing touches to a strong season by cruising to a win against Scotts Head.

All four lower grades are still up for grabs with Grade Four going down to the wire thanks to both Urunga and Nambucca Heads claiming victories last start. Park Beach dropped out of contention, being beaten by last placed Sawtell. Nambucca will host Urunga in the final round, with the winner walking away with the flag.

Coffs Ex Services can sew up Grade Five after their last start win over West Coffs, however a loss this week could open the door for nearest rivals Bowraville who have a game in hand but are sitting 8.5 points adrift. Coffs will travel to Woolgoolga to attempt to sew up the grade, and should they fail, then Bowraville will then also play Woolgoolga on this Sunday to try and steal the title.

Nambucca Heads and Park Beach bowed out of contention for Grade Six glory in round nine courtesy of a 4-2 loss and 4-2 win respectively. North Beach's win over Parky has kept them in the box seat whilst Nambucca needed a clean sheet against West Coffs to remain alive. Sawtell closed the gap on North Beach to really make things interesting with a 5-1 win over Urunga. North Beach requires two rinks against Urunga in the last round to confirm the flag is theirs. Sawtell must win 6-0 against Nambucca and hope for North beach to slip up.

Sawtell have put themselves in the box seat in section one of Grade Seven by claiming maximum points against Macksville to leapfrog Park Beach. Sawtell have the task of travelling to Nambucca Heads in the final round knowing they only have a 1.5 point lead over Park beach, who travel to Macksville. Bowraville are only a further half point behind and have the bye in round ten but will host Nambucca in a postponed match on the Sunday should Sawtell and Park Beach both fail to sew up the flag.
Section two will be determined by the last round clash between section leaders Park Beach playing away to second placed Urunga. Parky took the lead after a 5-1 win over Sawtell by one shot, whilst Urunga served the bye. Coffs have fallen short despite a last start victory, but have a last round bye denying them any further scoring opportunities.

Good luck to all those involved and may the luck be shared.

Chippy

District Triples Opening Rounds

The rainclouds cleared in time on Sunday for the opening rounds of the district triples to be played on the Macksville greens with some surprising results.
First of the favoured teams to suffer a surprise defeat was the Sawtell outfit skippered by Greg Cridge. Nambucca's highly rated side skippered by Geoff Beattie was the next of the big guns to falter, being beaten in a tough contest by West Coff's Trevor Baker.
The match of the afternoon was the clash between Laurie Morris and his Park Beach side and Rod Hiscock's Coffs Ex Services, Morris and co proving too strong and advancing to the quarter finals.
Park Beach, Sawtell, Bellingen and Urunga all have sides in the last eight, with Parky having the lion's share of finalists. On the top half of the draw Chris Habgood's Bellingen outfit will face off against Rod Farmer and co and reigning champions skippered by Cory Daley will play their club mates led by Rex Holloway, Sawtell will be ensured of at least a semi finalist when P.T Clarke takes on Paul Bartholomew, and in the match of the round John Bradleys Urunga side will challenge Laurie Morris and team for a place in the final four.

Good luck to all involved.

Chippy

District Pairs Results

First a quick update on Round Nine Pennants - The first three grades appear to have been decided with a round to spare. Park Beach, Nambucca Heads, and Coffs Ex Services have reportedly taken out grades One, Two and Three respectively. Full report to come later...

The first of the pairs titles to be decided for 2012 was the Presidents Reserve Pairs with Coffs Ex Services duo G Tindal and J Bishop proving too strong in the final for Nambucca's T Stokes and A Gittoes, winning in a thriller 16-15.
The CEX combination will prove hard to beat in the zone final, and credit to young Gittoes. I'm sure this won't be his last final.

The Open Pairs hosted by Scotts Head produced some high class bowls and close matches. The tightest of the quarter finals involved mostly Sawtell sides. Firstly Neil Davidson and Graeme Green held on by one against brothers Peter and P.T Clarke. Sawtells David Miles and Greg Cridge fell one shot short against Nambuca's Ken Rostron and Geoff Beattie.
The semi finals saw the Nambucca entrant prove too strong for Bellingen members G Haskew and Steve Alford taking the honours 23-13. Park Beach duo John Bain and Ric Southam had suffered a one shot loss in the 2011 semi final and were not going to be denied again, dominating their clash with Davidson and Green, taking a 27-9 victory to advance to the final.
The final lived up to all expectations with the match literally coming down to the last bowl, with Southam playing the perfect on shot to turn two down into one up to claim a narrow victory for himself and Bain and give them the distinction of taking out both the district fours and pairs crowns in the one year.

The Senior Pairs was dominated by Park Beach, with the club removing the final two host club entries (being Sawtell) in the quarter finals. The first semi final saw Alan Watkins and Don Wood get the better of Peter Woodsell and Laurie Morris 21-15. The second semi was a very tight affair, with John Hurrell and Aden Pike toughing out a win over Phil Toy and Dennis Brown.
The final again saw some scintillating bowls played, and when the dust had settled it was Hurrell and Pike who were the victors taking the crown 24-15.

Apologies for the delay with the posting of these results, better late then never!

Chippy.

Results Round Eight and Preview Round Nine

Park Beach Seconds have caused the upset of the season in the combined First and Second Grade division last Saturday when they defeated their first grade club mates 5 - 1 to keep their season alive. Knowing a loss would virtually end their season the side stood up their more fancied club mates, getting home on the back of a big rink win by Rob Wardrop, whose continues to be a game breaker for the side. Nambucca have maintained second place overall and still lead the way for the second grade teams after managing a 4 - 2 away victory against West Coffs, Tony Urquhart leading the way for his side. Finally Sawtell restored some pride beating Urunga to keep their hopes of at least finishing second overall alive.
Round Nine should decide at least Grade One, if not Grade Two. Park Beach Firsts  travel to West Coffs, knowing that a win will seal their eighth consecutive district flag. West Coffs will need a victory to keep their slim hopes alive. Park Beach Seconds will host Sawtell, and will also need a victory to at least take the second grade to the last round, as it is expected that Nambucca will take the major points against Urunga.

Coffs Ex Services almost sealed the Third Grade flag last round however the narrow 4 - 2 win over Sawtell has meant they will need another week before they can claim the title as nearest rivals Park Beach scored a 6 - 0 victory against Scotts Head to close the gap. Coffs will require just two points from their final match of the season this weekend against Scotts Head, however a loss could open the door ever so slightly for Woolgoolga to steal the flag should they manage a win over Sawtell. Park Beach has the bye.

Grade Four was blown open last round when Urunga was brought back to the pack by a determined Bellingen. Urunga managed two rink wins but couldn't take overall honours, Bellingen keeping their season alive with the win. Park Beach also battled through for a 4 - 2 success virtually ending Coffs Ex Services chances of taking the flag. Nambucca is looming as the dark horse however after they scored a 5 - 1 win over last placed Sawtell. The match of round nine will be Bellingen hosting Nambucca with both sides within 6.5 points of the leaders. Urunga will host danger team Coffs whilst Parky travel to Sawtell needing a good result to stay alive.

Coffs Ex Services have almost surrendered what seemed to be an unassailable lead in Grade Five, after a shock 6 - 0 loss to last placed Stuarts Point last weekend. With both Bowraville and Macksville claiming victories last start Coffs are now one loss away from losing a certain flag. They will travel to West Coffs hoping to claim a victory and finally put this grade to rest.

North Beach have kicked clear in Grade Six thanks to a victory over West Coffs and nearest rivals Park Beach having their colours lowered by Sawtell last round. Park Beach have a chance to redeem themselves when they host North Beach on Saturday. A North Beach win will see the flag sewn up for the small but fierce club.

In Grade Seven's first section, Bowraville surrendered the ladder lead after being white washed by Park Beach. Parky have taken the lead all be it momentarily as they have the bye this coming weekend. Nambucca have kept their chance alive with a win over Macksville whilst Sawtell have the bye. Nambucca's clash with Bowraville has been postponed meaning the only match this weekend will be Sawtell hosting Macksville.

Section Two saw leaders Urunga submit ground to their rivals with Coffs Ex Services too strong at home for the section leaders. Park Beach toughed out an away win over Woolgoolga to put themselves in the box seat with just two rounds remaining. Urunga still leads by 2.5 points but have the bye this round whilst third placed Coffs have the bye in the final round and can only do their best this week against Woolgoolga to be a chance. Park Beach can lead going into the last round with a win over Sawtell when they host them this Saturday.

All the best to all sides this weekend!

P.s District Pairs wrap up to come... apologies for the delay.

Chippy

Round Seven Results and Round Eight Preview

Nambucca Heads and West Coffs have jumped to the lead in the race for the Second Grade flag after both recorded dominant victories in round seven last weekend. Nambucca's whitewash of Sawtell ended Sawtell's slim chances of catching Park Beach for the First Grade flag and moved themselves into the lead for the Two's, whilst West Coffs ensured they stayed in the hunt and have put Park Beach seconds into a perilous position by also claiming a six to nil victory. Urunga kept Park Beach firsts honest but failed to register a point in their clash. The match of round eight will be the battle between West Coffs and Nambucca Heads. Wests are 3.5 points behind Nambucca and will be hoping to get the home win up to get themselves into the box seat. Park beach seconds will need a massive form reversal to take down their first grade club mates, who will be looking to sew up the number one flag with a win. Finally, Sawtell will look to restore some pride when they host an improved Urunga outfit in the final clash of the weekend.

After defeating their nearest rival being Park Beach last weekend, Coffs Ex Services will be out to sew up the Grade Three flag this Saturday when they travel to Sawtell. Park Beach will head south to challenge Scotts Head to keep their narrow hopes alive whilst the only side it seems with a chance of catching Coffs, being Woolgoolga will have the bye.

Urunga took a big step towards the Grade Four flag with their victory over Park Beach last start. Nambucca looks to be the only side with a chance of catching the runaway leaders after they posted a victory over Coffs Ex Services. Bellingen got back on their winning ways with a victory over Sawtell but appear to be too far behind to trouble the leading sides. If they are to be any chance they will need to take down Urunga this weekend. Nambucca will host Sawtell whilst Park Beach will travel to Coffs in what is really their last roll of the dice.

Coffs Ex Services opened the door ever so slightly after faltering at Macksville last weekend but will have a chance again this weekend to confirm their claim on the Grade Five flag when they travel to the struggling Stuarts point who again were beaten last round, this time by Woolgoolga. Woopi's slim hopes will be on the line this weekend when they travel to Macksville.

Four sides are still in contention after last round in Grade Six with North Beach slowly creeping clear after their whitewash of Nambucca. Park Beach have continued to warm to the occassion with a win over Urunga whilst Sawtell's victory has kept them in with a chance. North Beach host West Coffs this weekend whilst Urunga will do battle with Nambucca. In the match of the round Park Beach will challenge Sawtell, with the loser kissing goodbye their chances of the flag.

In Section One of Grade Seven, Sawtell have given themselves and Park Beach a life line by defeating Bowraville  last Saturday. Park Beach kept their chance alive by dishing out a thumping to Nambucca.
All three sides in contention have byes over the last three rounds, with Sawtell sitting out this week. Park Beach trail Bowra by 5.5 points and have the home ground advantage when the two sides clash this week. Nambucca hosts Macksville in the other match.

Urunga seemed to have section two shot to bits before the last round, however they didn't count on Wolgoolga besting o each rink to pull them back to the field. Sawtell played out an exciting draw against Coffs , the Sawtellians gaining a win on rinks to take honours. The result virtually ends Coffs chances, as they have the bye in the last round and are chasing 7.5 points already. If they are to have any hope they need to defeat Urunga this weekend, which they are capable of doing with the home green advantage. Park Beach are in prime position to swoop on the lead, should they be able to reverse their last result against Woolgoolga when clash. Sawtell has the bye.

Good luck to all involved this weekend...

Chippy

Round Seven Pennant Preview

Two matches in the First and Second grade combined competition this weekend will be of vital importance to the sides involved. Firstly Sawtell travel to Nambucca in what could be their final roll of the dice if they are to have any hope of running down Park Beach for the first grade flag. Nambucca will be looking to take full advantage of their home ground as they look to move back into the lead of the grade two sides with a win. The two other sides in contention for the second grade flag will also clash this weekend with Park Beach seconds hosting West Coffs. Parky currently lead the second grade but have a tough couple of weeks ahead and need to win this one to keep on track. For West Coffs, a loss is not an option if they are to maintain any hopes of a flag this year as they already trail the leading sides coming into this match.

In Grade Three the match that should determine the flag is to be played when leaders Coffs host nearest opposition Park Beach. If Coffs can win this one it is hard to see anyone running them down, however should Parky repeat the dose from their first encounter then it will also keep Woolgoolga as
well as themselves in contention.

Grade Four will see the ladder leaders clash when Urunga travels to Park Beach hoping to defend their lead. The clash between Nambucca and Coffs will also be a cracker with both sides still hanging in by the skin of their teeth for the flag.

The match of the round in grade Five will see Bowraville host Coffs Ex Services. Coffs are virtually just one win away from claiming the flag, but if anyone can run them down it will be Bowraville. The two sides locked in a battle for the lead in grade Six will go head to head when North Beach hosts rivals Nambucca Heads. Fourth place will host third when Urunga host Park Beach in another match of importance in this grade.

Grade Seven's first section will see Sawtell desperate to defeat Bowraville to bring the leaders back to the pack. A Bowra win will put them in an almost unassailable position in this section. In Section Two, Woolgoolga will throw everything they have at section leaders Urunga as a loss will end their hopes of a flag in this grade.

Good Luck to all involved!

Chippy

Pennants Round Six

Park Beach moved closer to claiming the first grade flag after a solid victory over the club that was their nearest rivals being Nambucca Heads last Saturday. The 5 - 1 victory extends their lead at the top of the table, with the Park Beach seconds now their nearest rivals after they defeated Urunga 6 - 0 to boost their chances of the second grade flag, and all but ending Urunga's season. Sawtell kept their slim hopes alive by defeating West Coffs 6 - 0. West Coffs are still in the hunt but will have their season on the line in round seven when they travel to Park Beach to play Park Beach Two's. Park Beach Firsts will travel to Urunga and will look to extend their lead, whilst in the match of the round, Sawtell and Nambucca will clash. 

In Grade Three Coffs Ex Services moved back into the lead with their 5 - 1 defeat of Woolgoolga whilst Park beach kept it a three horse race by whitewashing Sawtell.
Grade Four remains wide open although Urunga has firmed as the side most likely after another victory whilst Park Beach copped a drubbing at the hands of Nambucca to slide back into second place. Bellingen's great start to the season continued to go sour, beaten by Coffs ex Services who's season seems to be going in the opposite direction. With just four rounds remaining only Sawtell seems to be out of contention.

Coffs Ex Services are now twelve points clear in Grade five after a dominant victory over Macksville. It seems only Bowraville, or possibly Woolgoolga remain a chance to catch them, after both also recorded solid wins.
Grade Six continues to be an arm wrestle for all involved, with narrow victories the order of the day and no side able to pull clear at the top of the ladder. North Beach and Nambucca are tied at the top of the table despite both losing. Park Beach, Urunga and Sawtell all scored wins to move a little closer.

Only Nambucca Heads and Sawtell appear able to catch Bowraville in section one of Grade Seven, as Bowraville scored another impressive win, this time over Macksville. Sawtell kept themselves in contention by ending Park Beach's season.
Finally in section two, Urunga and Park Beach seemed destined to fight out the section after both scored impressive victories. Despite their loss, Coffs will still consider themselves a chance. For Woolgoolga and Sawtell, the remainder of the season will be all about avoiding the wooden spoon.

No Pennants this weekend due to Easter, although a number of clubs have Easter events scheduled.

Cheers,

Chippy

District Pairs Opening Rounds

Sawtell and Nambucca Heads have dominated the early rounds of the MNC district pairs hosted by Scotts Head last Sunday. In total five clubs will be represented in the quarter finals after some tough matches in beautiful conditions in the early rounds.
Match of the opening rounds would have to have been the win by Ben Sutton and P.T Clarke over local stalwarts R Foster and Ben Budge. Trailing all match, Clarke picked up four on the last end to claim a one shot victory. Teams in form appear to be Sawtell's David Miles & Greg Cridge, and Neil Davison and Graeme Greene, as well as Park Beach's Johnny Bain & Ric Southam, and finally Nambucca's Ken Rostron and Geoff Beattie who all scored convincing victories to reach the final eight.

In the senior pairs event hosted by Sawtell, Park Beach has claimed six of the eight quarter final positions with the host club taking ownership of the last two. The most impressive win of round two belongs to Peter Woodsell & Laurie Morris with a twenty two shot success, whilst tightest match of the day saw Alan Watkins and Don Wood sneak away with a four shot win over Bill Meadows and Ian Muller.

Finally at West Coffs, four different clubs will be on show in the semi finals of the Presidents Pairs, with the first semi final seeing T Stokes & A Gittoes of Nambucca Heads taking on D Shield and P Smith of Park Beach, and in semi final two Scotts Head bowlers J Hewson and T Narris will clash with Coffs Ex Services G Tindall and J Bishop.

No pairs to be played this Sunday due to the under 45 representative clash against LNC.

Cheers,

Cory

Round Five Pennant Results

The clash of the titans in the combined first and second grade division on Saturday proved to be another classic encounter between home club Sawtell and Park Beach. In a match that went down to the wire, Park Beach affirmed their status as the side to beat, scraping home with a 4 - 2 victory, Jim Swan's victory over Graham Green proving the difference after P.T Clarke and Greg Cridge picked up rink wins for the home side.
Nambucca were able to take advantage of the close encounter between the two first grade entrants to close the gap after a strong 5 - 1 victory against Park each Seconds, Geoff Beattie's big win over Rob Wardrop guaranteeing the big board.
West Coffs also moved back into contention, and in the process all but ended Urunga's chances for the season with a 6 - 0 victory.
The results see Park Beach nine points clear of Nambucca Heads, followed closely by West Coffs, Park Beach seconds and Sawtell still in the mix.

In Grade Three it was Woolgoolga who stepped up winning their away fixture against Park Beach to usurp the leadership of this division. Sawtell kept their season alive and ended the season of Scotts Head with a 5 - 1 success.

Park Beach and Urunga have maintained the status quo with 5 - 1 victories over nearest rivals Bellingen and Nambucca Heads in Grade Four. Coffs Ex Services kept themselves in contention with a whitewash of Sawtell.

In Grade Five Coffs Ex Services staged a second half fight back against Woolgoolga to stretch their lead over their rivals, whilst Macksville moved into second place with a victory over Bowraville.
Whilst in Grade Six Nambucca Heads, North Beach and Park Beach scored victories to hold down the top three places in this division.

Finally in Grade Seven section one Nambucca Heads blew a golden opportunity to catch leaders Bowraville after their defeat at the hands of Sawtell, and Park Beach scored a much needed victory over Macksville. Section Two saw Urunga take the lead after defeating Park Beach whilst Sawtell scored their first win of the season, taking down Woolgoolga to keep their slim hopes alive.

Cheers,

Chippy

Round Five Pennant Preview

Round Five will feature the clash of the titans in the combined First and Second Grade division of the MNC pennants today when the two first grade sides meet. Although after consecutive defeats Sawtell aren't exactly living up to their status as a top contender. On paper the side is certainly strong enough, but just hasn't been able to find their rhythm in their last two encounters. Hosting a Park Beach side today that has only dropped one and a half points over the opening four rounds the Sawtell faithful will be desperate to take down the leading side and get their season back on track.
Second and Third place on the ladder will also clash today when Nambucca Heads host Park Beach Seconds. Only half a point separates the two teams, and Nambucca will be looking to take full advantage of their home green knowledge to gain the upper hand moving into the second half of the season. Both sides are coming off good victories last round, with this match perhaps the hardest to select a winner for.
Finally, West Coffs hosts Urunga in a match neither side can afford to lose. Both sides have shown glimpses of what they are capable of, but find themselves in a situation where another loss will make things very difficult, particularly Urunga who are already struggling to stay in touch.

In Grade Three, Park Beach and Woolgoolga go head to head with the winner likely to finish the round at the top of the leader board, courtesy of Coffs Ex Services having the bye. In the other clash, Sawtell face Scotts Head, the loser of this match will virtually be out of contention so a big match is expected.

Grade Four sees the top four positioned teams all playing each other. Bellingen host leaders Park Beach, whilst second placed Urunga host Nambuca Heads. With all four sides within four and a half points of each other, any of them could finish the day at the head of the table.

Coffs Ex Services will look to stretch their lead when they host Woolgoolga in Grade five today. Second placed Macksville will host third placed Bowraville, both hoping to stay in touch with the leading side. West Coffs travels to Stuarts Point in the other match, West Coffs also needing to win big to stay in touch, whilst the Point will be happy just to record a victory.

Grade Six appears to be the most unpredictable of all the grades so far, with five sides all within four and a half points of each other at the top of the ladder. After their shock loss last week, leaders Nambucca will look to get back to their winning ways when they host fourth placed Sawtell. Second placed Urunga host third placed North Beach, whilst Park Beach won't be taking West Coffs lightly after their shock victory last round.

In Section One in Grade Seven, Nambucca will travel to last placed Sawtell hoping to assume leadership with a good win, as leaders Bowraville have the bye. Sawtell's season will be all but over should they not win today. Park Beach host Macksville in another match where a loss will resign the losers to only making up the numbers, with the sides equal on seven points, already eleven in arrears of Bowraville.

Section Two sees Park Beach hosting Urunga, with the victors almost certainly leading the ladder by the close of play. Coffs currently sit atop but are serving the bye this round. Woolgoolga host Sawtell in the other match, with the losing side also kissing their hopes of a flag this season goodbye.

Good Luck to all involved!

Chippy

Pennnants Round Four Results 5/6/7 Grades

Coffs Ex Services affirmed its position at the top of the ladder in Grade Five defeating the side closest to them at the start of the round, being West Coffs. the ladder leaders didn't have it all their own way but finished strongly to claim the big board. Bowraville and Macksville both also recorded victories to move up the ladder at the expense of Woolgoolga and Stuarts Point.

Grade Six saw the upset of the round when West Coffs who hadn't previously scored a point in the first three rounds defeated ladder leaders Nambucca Heads 5 - 1. The result has caused a log jam at the top of the leader board, Nambucca still holding on to top spot, but with Urunga, North Beach and Sawtell breathing down their neck all within 1.5 points.

In Section One of Grade Seven, Bowraville missed a golden chance to put one hand one the section victory when they fell to Nambucca Heads. This section however appears to be a two horse race now between Nambucca and Bowraville, with Macksvile and Park Beach both six points further behind the two.
In Section Two, Coffs ex Services and Park Beach both had victories to close the gap on Urunga. Coffs now lead by a point however have the bye in the next round with Urunga, Parky and Woolgoolga all well in contention and looking to steal first place.

Cheers,

Chippy

Junior Singles Report

Thanks to Ken Lowry for the following report on yesterdays MNC Junior singles final...

Spectators were in awe of the skills and talent of the two finalists in the Mid-North Coast District Lawn Bowling Junior Championship contested at West Coffs Bowling Club on Sunday morning March 18.

Josh Hicks representing Park Beach Club matched up against West Coffs junior Corey Wedlock in a sensational contest but with Wedlock in brilliant form the outcome was never in doubt.

15 year old Corey Wedlock displayed why he is in the Bowls NSW State under 18 team with a copybook display of pin-point accuracy in blustery conditions to take out the 2012 District Junior Championship title with a 31-9 final score that did not do justice to the excellent bowling and determination of his worthy opponent.

Cheers,

Chippy

District Fours and Junior Singles Finals

The first of the 2012 district champions were crowned today as the finals of the junior singles and open fours were played at West Coffs and Park Beach respectively, with members from the host clubs victorious in both. Corey Wedlock got his campaign to win all three junior events under way with a convincing 31 - 19 victory over Park Beach's Josh Hicks. Hicks despite the loss should be commended on reaching the final after having a break from the game over the last six months or so. The two finalists will join forces in the junior pairs and will have to go in as short price favourites...
The fours final saw two Park Beach sides clash in a local derby final. John Bain, Mark Menzies, Ric Southam & Cory Daley had the better of the opening exchanges against Steve Plumb, John Hurrell, Dennis Brown and Aden Pike to move out to a 9 - 4 lead. A three followed by a five blew the game wide open with Daley's side advancing to a 21 - 9 lead.
Pike's men fought hard to get back to within nine shots but with ends running out the side had to take risks which didn't get the desired results, Daley and company closing out the match 28 - 11 and earning a chance to play for the zone title in June.

Next weekend will see round five of pennants and the opening rounds of the MNC pairs events...

Cheers,

Chippy

Round Four Results - Grades 1-4

Nambucca Heads and Park Beach Seconds were the big movers in round four of the combined first and second grade competition this weekend.
Nambucca has moved into second place on the ladder after a dominant 6 - 0 victory over Urunga whilst Parky seconds moved into third after dealing out a second straight loss to an unlucky Sawtell side 5.5 - 0.5. The match at Sawtell hung in the balance and appeared to be almost in the home sides favour, holding a score good enough for victory on the last end, before Parky skipper Rob Wardrop, trailed the jack for two shots, not only snaring the big board, but snatching a draw against Sawtell's P.T Clarke for an extra half point.
Park Beach Firsts didn't have it all their own way at home against West Coffs, but a strong win for Jim Swan against Martin Wilson, ensured the big board was safe. Young gun Corey Wedlock added to his growing reputation earning his side a point with a win over Mark Menzies rink.
Firsts have now increased their lead over second place to ten points over Nambucca with the Parky seconds half a point further back...

In Grade Three, Coffs Ex Services achieved their goal of taking the lead with a 5 - 1 victory over Scotts Head. Woolgoolga cemented third place and stay in the mix after also managing a 5 - 1 victory against Sawtell.

Park Beach held off a fast finishing Sawtell to record a 4.5 - 1.5 success and maintain a slight lead over the field in Grade Four, thanks to Nambucca Heads upsetting Bellingen 4 - 2. Urunga have now moved into second place on the back of a dominant 5 - 1 win over Coffs. All sides in the top three look the goods, with Nambucca also still in the mix. The warning signs would be flashing for Coffs and Sawtell now, with just one more loss for either side pretty much ending their hopes of a flag in this grade.

As two matches in the lower grades are scheduled for 18/03/12, results for grades 5/6/7 will be posted later.

Cheers,

Chippy

Round Four Pennant Preview

Urunga and Nambucca face a crunch game today to keep themselves in contention when they clash at Urunga today in the combined First and Second Grade  Fourth round. All sides in the second division are evenly poised, with Nambucca Heads and Urunga both within 2.5 points of the leading side. A win today could catapult either side into the lead, however a loss could put the unfortunate team into an irretrievable position.
Sawtell will also play a pressure match when they host Park Beach Two's. Both sides are coming off third round losses and both find themselves needing a victory to stay in the hunt. Sawtell will look to P.T Clarke to anchor the team whilst Parky will similarly look to Rob Wardrop to find his 2011 form.
Finally West Coffs face the daunting task of taking down Park Beach firsts at Park Beach. West Coffs is leading the second grade sides and are in reasonable form but will have to find top gear against a side that has already moved 7.5 points clear of the field.

In Grade Three Coffs Ex Services will hope to take back first place when they travel to Scotts Head, whilst Sawtell and Woolgoolga will do battle at Sawtell. Park Beach has the bye.

Nambucca Heads will host second placed Bellingen in the round four match of the round, whilst in grade five first and second place will go head to head when Coffs hosts West Coffs.

In Grade Six, West Coffs will be hoping for a massive form reversal when they clash with ladder leaders Nambucca Heads at home. The host side is yet to register a point and if they are to do so today they will need to find a new gear.

Finally in the Grade Seven sections, the leaders of section one, being Bowraville and Nambucca Heads clash at Nambucca, and in section two Coffs will travel to Wolgoolga where both sides will hope to take advantage of leaders Urunga having the bye.

Good luck to all...

Chippy

Nambucca Heads Club Fours

The Nambucca Heads 2012 Club Fours champions are Peter, Gilmore, Mino Bettanin, Wally Wallbank and Chris Freeman who won a tough battle against Daryl Lawrence, Mick Ellison, Grant Lawrence and Tony Urquhart.
After getting out to an early lead, Chris and team held about an eight shot buffer to the finish to eventually record a 23-19 victory.

Thanks to Ken Rostron for supplying details...

Upcoming Tournament

Many Thanks to Ken Lowry from West Coffs for the following information on the upcoming West Coffs Triples Tournament...

West Coffs Mens Bowling Club is on a very confident roll in 2012 with a new and enthusiastic committee fully committed to building the club back to previous high standards and membership numbers.

Currently sitting on over 150 full members, with new member prospects turning up to play weekly on what the club proudly boasts as the best three turf greens in Northern NSW, West Coffs is approaching the start of the district pennant season with solid teams entered in grades two, five and six.

Looking ahead, West Coffs Mens Bowling Club has scheduled their popular Open Mens Triples Tournament for the weekend of 30^th June and 1^st July 2012 with many of the attending 2011 teams already indicating their guaranteed participation and many other district association teams making early enquiries.

Last year teams came from as far away as Gippsland Victoria to enjoy keen competition at what is properly referred to as the “friendly club”.

West Coffs officials are still in the process of finalizing tournament sponsorship but intending teams are encouraged to get in early with their accommodation reservations.

Closing date for nominations is Saturday 23^rd June.

Club secretary Garry Launt on menswcbowls@clubcoffs.com.au  or 0266527563 can provide advice for visiting teams on request. 

Cheers,

Chippy

MNC District Fours Semi Finals

Only two teams remain in the District Fours after some fierce competition at Park Beach yesterday.
Despite heavy rain overnight, the quarter finals were able to get underway unaffected, with Aden Pike's side gaining an early advantage against the only remaining West Coffs entrant skipped by Martin Wilson. Pike and co never surrendered their advantage to move into the semi. A second Park beach team skippered by Jim Swan was the next to advance, outclassing the outfit skippered by Laurie Morris. Cory Daley's foursome continued the Park Beach trend grinding out a tough ten shot success over Don Wood and team. Brett McDonnell stopped it being an all Park Beach affair in the semi finals when his Urunga side out pointed Tom Blow's troops to take the last place in the final four.
As they did in the quarter final, Aden Pikes foursome got out of the blocks early and never looked back in their semi, stopping dead the Urunga quartet's hopes of successive district fours finals, the final finishing well before the regulation 21 ends.
The second semi final proved a much tougher affair as Parky big guns Daley and Swan went head to head. Daley managed a break of five shots late in the match and held it to the end to the finish.
The final between Pike and Daley will be an intense affair as the two sides in the best form of the past two weeks go head to head.

Results
Quarter Finals: (skips only)
C Daley Def D Wood 20 - 10
J Swan Def L Morris 27 - 19
B McDonnell Def T Blow 23 - 10
A Pike Def M Wilson 30 - 15

Semi Finals
J Bain, M Menzies, R Southam & C Daley (Park Beach) Def J Eding, T Kadwell, R Wardrop & J Swan (PB) 21 - 15

S Plumb, J Hurrell, D Brown & A Pike (PB) Def R Barbat, J Tserepas, C McDonnell & B McDonnell (Urunga) 29 - 7.

Congratulations to all involved.

Chippy

Pennant Round Three Results

Park Beach firsts showed no mercy in the local derby against the Twos on a day where their nearest rivals stumbled in the combined first and second grade division. The Firsts took all six points on offer against the Seconds to move clear at the top of the ladder. West Coffs travelled to Nambucca Heads and despite claiming two rinks, couldn't overcome the home team on the big board, Nambucca prevailing for their first win this season 4 - 2.
Urunga were responsible for the upset of the round with a morale boosting 5 - 1 victory at home against the second placed Sawtell. The win was also their first for the year and has given them hope of taking out the second grade flag. The results of this round see Park Beach Firsts move 7.5 points clear of Sawtell. Only 2.5 points separates the four second grade sides with West Coffs the best of these despite the loss today.

As results are missing in grades three and five, these grades will be updated later...

In Grade Four, the previously undefeated Bellingen and Park Beach were both on the wrong side of the score board, Park Beach losing by a single shot against Coffs Ex Services. In fact all three lower placed sides had wins over the top three with Sawtell claiming a maiden victory over Nambucca Heads.

Grade Six saw Nambucca resume control at the top of the ladder with a victory as Park Beach inflicted the first defeat of the year on Sawtell in a close encounter. North Beach also grabbed its first success for 2012, leaving West Coffs alone at the bottom in this grade.

Grade Seven section one continues to be dominated by Bowraville who defeated what was their nearest rivals in Park Beach. Nambucca have moved into second place with a narrow victory over Macksvile. In Section Two Urunga suffered their first loss at the hands of Coffs Exervices but are still four points clear at the top of the table, whilst Woolgolga proved too strong for Park Beach to open their account for the year.

Grades Three and Five to be updated once results available...

Congrats to the winners

Chippy

District Fours Opening Rounds Results

Despite the terrible weather, rounds one and two were able to be completed on Sunday at Park Beach in the MNC District Fours championships.
Round One saw six sides advance to the next round, with Rex Holloway's Park Beach rink winning the match of the round against the Scotts Head entry skippered by Hagop Aladjadjian by thirteen shots.
In round two, Park Beach dominated the top half of the draw with Teams skippered by Don Wood, Cory Daley, Laurie Morris and Jim Swan moving through to the quarter finals. On the bottom side of the draw, Brett McDonnell's Urunga outfit kept their hopes of back to back finals alive with a victory. Aden Pike also skippered his team through to the last eight. Martin Wilson and his side from West Coffs won the match of the round against Rod farmers foursome from the host club whilst in the upset of the round another host club team skippered by Tom Blow held on for a one shot victory over Grant Blom's Coffs Ex Services side.
The quarter finals this Sunday will see:
Wood vs Daley
Morris vs Swan
Blow vs McDonnell
Pike vs Wilson

Til Next Time...

Chippy

Round Two Pennant Results

Park Beach and Sawtell continued on their winning way in round two of the combined First and Second Grade pennant yesterday whilst West Coffs scored their first victory of the season. At Park Beach the home side proved just a touch too good on each rink scoring maximum points against Urunga. Sawtell had a much tougher time of things when they hosted Nambucca Heads however managed to hold on to a 4-2 victory. West Coffs proved too strong at home for the Park Beach seconds scoring a 5-1 success to get their campaign back on track.
In Grade Three Woolgoolga and Park Beach managed their first wins of the season to tie up the leader board. Sawtell is a point behind Coffs, Woopi and Park beach but has the advantage as they have already had the bye.
Grade Four saw Bellingen and Park Beach keep their unbeaten records intact whilst Nambucca scored their first win of the year to move into third place.
Grade Five has just the one unbeaten side with Coffs Ex Services moving clear at the top defeating Bowraville. Stuarts Point is still looking for their first win.
Sawtell and Nambucca Heads remain unbeaten in Grade Six whilst Park Beach managed a home victory to get their season on the right path.
Finally in the Grade Seven sections Bowraville and Urunga have skipped clear in their respective divisions as the only teams unbeaten who have not had byes.
Attention today turns to the opening rounds of the district fours being played at Park Beach. To all involved good luck and take a rain coat!

Chippy

2012 MNC District Fours Preview

After what seems like an eternity of waiting, the 2012 MNC district championships will commence this Sunday weather permitting at Park Beach. The Fours will be the opening event of the year, and the host club will be odds on to claim the winning entrant with ten of the twenty two entrants wearing Park Beach colours!
Round one Sunday morning will see twelve teams take to the green, with the six winners being joined by ten others in the second round after lunch. The event appears to have a number of high quality teams entered this year with any number of sides capable of taking out the title.
The West Coffs entry skippered by Martin Wilson will take some beating but will have a tough first up encounter against Sawtell's Ian Muller skipped side. Rod Farmer's Park Beach team will be amongst the favourites competing in round one as will Paul Bartholomew's Sawtell outfit.
Last year's runner's up side from Urunga has lost two of it's members but with skipper Brett McDonnell still at the helm they will still be in the mix. Perhaps the clash of the opening round will be between the solid Scotts Head line up headed by Hagop Aladjadjian against Park Beach's entrant skippered by Rex Holloway.
The most heartening thing of the event would have to be the number of new names found in the team listings. It's great to see the newer bowlers, or those new to the area stepping to compete against the regular competitors.
Round two will see the reigning champions, being Laurie Morris and company from the host club take to the green against Athol Grogan's Urunga side. The top side which received the lions share of the byes is littered with teams of merit, with Park Beach sides skippered by Don Wood, Cory Daley and Jim Swan joined by Coffs Ex Services sides skippered by Grant Blom and Tony Wills, Sawtell's Ian Weldon and Nambucca's John Wright.
Looking into the crystal ball, the semi final predictions are: Wood Vs Morris, and Aladjadjian Vs Wilson/Farmer...

Good Luck to all involved and lets pray for clear weather for both days!

Cheers,

Chippy

Round Two Preview

The two sides promoted in the 2012 season face off at Sawtell this Saturday with the locals looking to continue their good start as a first grade side against grade two newcomers Nambucca Heads who after their loss at home in round one will be desperate to improve their standing.
At West Coffs the home side will be trying to make amends when they clash with Park Beach seconds in what should be the match of the round, whilst at Park Beach the Parky firsts will host Urunga.
For Urunga, West Coffs and Nambucca, a second straight defeat will see them just about lose touch with first place in only two rounds, whilst the three sides leading the way, this weekend gives them an opportunity to gain a much needed upper hand over their opposition, in particular for Park Beach seconds, who were the only round one victors of the second graded sides.

In Grade Three, Scotts Head get their first start of the season when they travel to Woolgoola. Park Beach will be looking to recover when they host Coffs Ex Services.
The Grade Four match of the round will be between two of the first start winners in Urunga and Park Beach whilst Coffs Ex Services and Nambucca will clash hoping to get their first win of the season.
Coffs Ex Services hosting Bowraville will be the highlight of Grade Five whilst in Grade Six the clash between Sawtell and West Coffs will be as good as any other.
Finally in Grade Seven Nambucca Heads and Woolgoolga get their first matches against last start winners Park Beach and Urunga respectively.

Good Luck to all!

Chippy

Round One Pennant continued..

Grade Three saw Coffs Ex Services start the season in the right manner, both sides recording solid victories over Woolgoolga and Park Beach respectively. 5-1 appeared to be a popular score in the opening round with Bellingen, Urunga and Park Beach all recording  a two rinks to one success in Grade Four. Grade Five saw two sides buck the trend and record clean sweep wins, Bowraville and West Coffs taking early ownership of the table. Sawtell and Urunga also scored three rink wins in their Grade Six clashes to signal a warning to their opposition.
In the Grade Seven sections it was Urunga, Bowraville and the two Park Beach sides that flexed some muscle to take the major points.
In some grades there are only eight scoring opportunities so those who have started the year with defeat will be desperate to bounce back this coming Saturday...

Cheers,

Chippy

Round One Pennant Results

Park Beach and Sawtell got off to ideal starts in the 2012 combined first and second grade division with hard fought victories on Saturday. In the match of the round Sawtell managed a four shot victory away at West Coffs for a 5-1 score line. In a match that could have gone either way Sawtell held on for a crucial away success winning on two rinks. Martin Wilson's rink earned a point for his club and kept the team in the match with a big victory over Ian Weldon's rink.
Park Beach Firsts travelled to Nambucca Heads and shot out to a comfortable 20 shot buffer which looked like they would hold until the finish, however some big scores in the home club's favour saw the margin reduce to just seven overall with seven ends remaining. Park Beach however snuffed out any hopes of a come from behind victory scoring eleven shots to two over the last seven ends to take a 5.5 - 0.5 victory. Tony Urquhart's rink secured the half point for the host club, drawing with Ric Southam.
Park Beach seconds completed a treble of away victories in round one when they upstaged hosts Urunga, also 5.5 - 0.5. Charlie Attard performed well skipping in the absence of regular skip Rob Wardrop, gaining a rink win. John Bradley played out a draw with Aden Pike to earn his club a half point.

As not all results from other grades are currently posted, the remaining grades report will be posted later...

Cheers,

Chippy