Bright start to Tasmanian State Championships
A hot and sunny day made for a bright start to the Bowls Tasmania’s State Lawn Bowls Championships which commenced at Burnie and Devonport today.
Mark Strochnetter and Kim Saunders look the players to beat in the Sue Geeves Mixed Open Pairs State Championship after they convincingly won their section and in doing so knocked out the current State Mixed Pairs Champions, Codi Marshall and Amity Bickley, who had one win and a draw to finish second. State players Taelyn Male and Chloe Flanagan and the husband-and-wife team of Rob and Jess McMullen impressively won their sections to stake their claims on the title. Other players to win all games in their sections were Courtney Hobbs and Paul Costello, Tim Douce and Denise Fitzpatrick, Greg Douse and Rose-Ann Howard, Stewart Cashion and Peri Buckley, Scott Stagg and Maureen Zoon, and Darren and Glenda Fielding.
With some very close games in the Mixed Open Pairs, the remaining section winners were Barry Magnus and Tracey Little, Bailey Bellchambers and Lauren Banks, Dee Harmen and Heath Middap, Michael Sims and Ali Venn, Darren and Carolyn Monks and Jade Groenewege and Karen Pickering
Runners-up last year in the Bowling Arm Pairs Championships after winning the title in the two previous years, Geoff Buchanan and Joe Reissig are hoping to atone for last year’s loss going through their section undefeated and will be hard to stop in the finals tomorrow. John Borg and David Sims were also undefeated. The remaining position in the finals went down to the wire with three teams separated by just a one-shot difference, with the top two teams tied. In the end it was the team of Laird Best and David Allison who won three more ends during sectional play that scraped into the finals, edging out current champions, Paul Bugg and Noel Purton.
For all the results, click HERE.
The State Championships continue on Sunday with post-sectional play and quarter finals in the Open Mixed Pairs, and finals in the Bowling Arm Pairs with all games being played at Burnie.
