Douce and Moore crowned State Open Fours Champions

by Rob McGuire on March 12, 2023

The sun shined brightly and great bowls  were the order of the day at Burnie Bowls Club today when Bowls Tasmania’s State Open Fours Championships were finalised.

A composite team skipped by Latrobe’s Tim Douce, with Glenorchy Rodman’s Luke Turner and Jack Ellis and Longford’s Matthew Jackson were unstoppable as they powered their way to a convincing 24 shot win over another composite team skipped by Claremont’s Michael Taylor with Rosny Park’s Darren Monks, Kingborough’s Brad Carver and Claremont’s Dean Shaw.   Douce played some big conversion bowls to race out to a 6-0 lead after three ends and 15-1 after eight ends before finishing 29-5 when the game was stopped after14 ends. 

In two very close men’s semi-finals, Douce came from nine shots down to defeat Patrick Smith, Tony Simpson, Ricki Richardson and Chris Dudman by two shots and Taylor won a tight encounter against Josh Walker-Davis, Codi Marshall, Ollie Morrison and Bailey by one shot.

Latrobe’s Erin Moore teamed up with Kings Meadows Rae Simpson and Invermay’s Debbie Lee and Kim Saunders to win the Women’s Open Fours Championship over a gallant composite combination of New Norfolk’s Lauren Banks and Penguin’s Makayla Gibson, Tracey Little and Glenda Fielding.    In an outstanding game of bowls , scores were locked at 18-all after 18 ends and the sudden-death tiebreaker went down to the last bowl before Moore came out on top winning 19-18.

In the women’s semi-finals, Moore defeated Carol Bannister, Jenny Martyn,  Kerrie Lane and Nadine Seabourne by ten shots and Banks narrowly beat Barbara Smith, Maxine Viney, Sue Ross and Madge Strochnetter by two shots.

The championships continue tomorrow with sectional play in the Men’s and Women’s Open and B Grade Pairs Championships at Burnie, South Burnie, Penguin and Ulverstone.

For all the results click HERE