Mixed Masters Fours

 

The third annual Dyenamic Masters Mixed Fours carnival was conducted over the Sunday and Monday of the Queen’s Birthday weekend. This event was sponsored by the Sorrento Bowling Club this year, as our previous sponsorship arrangement for this event has now ended. The weather forecast was not too bright, but apart from one small rain interruption on Sunday morning, the event was completed on time under cool and cloudy skies.

Over 80 premier league and many State players entered this event, with 3 rounds of 15 ends played on Sunday and the top 8 teams progressing to the knockout rounds on Monday. Six teams won all three matches on Sunday and automatically progressed, but there was a very tight battle for the 8th and final spot, with only percentage separating three teams who each had two wins and a shot differential of plus 17 shots. Sean Mawdsley’s composite team was the lucky team to progress. Notable teams not to progress included the previous two event winners skippered by Cody Packer and Blake Nairn.

The quarter-finals saw two of the four matches requiring an extra end to separate the teams that were to progress to the semi-finals. Sean Mawdsley continued his run by beating Chris Lander’s rink in one extra-end match, with Bruce Eagles’ composite side beating Rhett Butler’s in the other. The final two semi-final spots went to Anthony Einfeld’s Mt Lawley combination, who beat Jim Buchanan’s Joondalup side, and Darren Wilkinson’s composite team from the Bunbury area who defeated Glen Pauling.

In one semi-final, Darren Wilkinson, with Kerry Ward, Gail Ecclestone and Gary Giblett triumphed over Sean Mawdsley 15-11, and in the other Bruce Eagles with Coral Smith, Kerry Hutchinson and Murray Hulbert comfortably accounted for Anthony Einfeld 19-9.

In the final, the Eagles combination pulled away to lead 10-3 after 8 ends, mainly due to astute running shots from Bruce, but then dropped a 6 and a 2 in consecutive ends to fall behind 10-11 after 10. Steady bowling for the next 4 ends saw the Eagles side lead 15-12 coming into the 15th and final end. Despite their best efforts and extremely narrow misses, the Wilkinson team could not bridge the gap with the final score 17-12 in Eagles’ favour. The small crowd appreciated the constant cut-and-thrust of the final, with the advantage changing several times each end. Congratulations to Coral, Kerry, Murray and Bruce for bringing the trophy “home” to Sorrento for the first time.

Thanks to the match committees for their part in organising this very successful and popular event, particularly to Dan Greig and Cheryl Greig, with help from several others including Pauline Marsden, Ian Wittber, Wendy Flack, Trevor and Anne Orton, plus the morning tea team of volunteers.