Mixed Pairs Championship

The qualifying round of the Club Mixed Pairs Championship was held on Sunday 9th January. Twenty-four pairs entered and the round was conducted on B and D greens as three games of 14 ends, 3×3 bowl format with the best eight teams based on games won and shots up proceeding to the knock-out round. Conditions were excellent for this time of year, with a top temperature of 30 degrees and a light easterly wind in the morning switching to the more normal Sorrento sea breeze in the afternoon. Results varied from some blow-outs to a number of very closely contested games, although (unusually) no draws were recorded. Six pairs won all three games and were joined by two teams with two wins and the highest shots-up.

Quarterfinal pairings were:
W Flack/P Knight v P Bourne/P Flack (for bragging rights in the Flack household)
P Marsden/R Bone v W Saul/M Hulbert (a replay of their final round game won by Marsden/Bone)
D Konig/J Konig v C Harris/T Orton
R Van Mosseveld/S Van Mosseveld v S Everest/D Dunstan

The quarter-finals of the Mixed Pairs Championships were held on the afternoon of Friday 13th. Matches were held on B Green over 14 ends under very blustery conditions and were, bar one exception, very competitive with results being determined on the last end. The winners were Pauline Bourne and Peter Flack, Demi and Jan Konig, Robyn and Stan Van Mosseveld, and Pauline Marsden and Richard Bone.

The Konig pair then played their semi-final against Marsden/Bone with scores tied at 14-all after 17 of the 18 ends. Demi Konig drew a toucher with her first bowl on the last end and this survived as the counting shot despite Richard Bone glancing of the scoring bowl and continuing past the jack. So the Konig pair moved on to the final with their opponents to be determined from the second semi-final to be played the following week.

That last semi-final was played on Friday 20th between Pauline Bourne/Peter Flack and Robyn and Stan Van Mosseveld. The first half of the game was tight with 1s and 2s being collected by both teams with the Van Mosseveld team ahead 8-6 after the 11th end. A subsequent 2 then a damaging 5 gave them the break needed to take the win 16-9 without the 18th end being played.

The final between Van Mossevelds and Demi and Jan Konig was played later that day. Konigs got away to a good start with a four on the 8th end giving them a 12-5 lead and they looked to be well in control of the game. Van Mossevelds then found the outstanding draw bowling they had shown in the semi-final. Winning eight of the next ten ends, including another five, they won the game 21-15, Stan’s first Championship win at Sorrento.