Bright start to Tasmanian lawn bowls Championships
A hot and sunny day made for a bright start to the Bowls Tasmania’s State Lawn Bowls Championships which commenced in Launceston today.
Taelyn Male and Chloe Flanagan look the players to beat in the Sue Geeves Mixed Open Pairs State Championship after they convincingly won their section. State players Codi Marshall and Amity Bickley 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 Jade Groenewege and Karen Pickering, Byron Slater and Vicki Winley, Elaine Taylor and Ricky Limbrick, Matthew Gregg and Anne Allanby and Nigel Melbourne and Jodi Murphy.
With some very close games in the Mixed Open Pairs, the remaining section winners were Anthony Frost and Julie Bannon, Dylan Fisher and Brittany Bucholz, Scott Stagg and Maureen Zoon, Chris and Debbie Lee, father and daughter combination Danny and Imogen Patmore, and Riley Davie and Jeanette Lane.
Last year’s Bowling Arm Pairs Champions, Geoff Buchanan and Joe Reissig were bundled out of the competition by John Borg and Ian Gilbert who were undefeated and will start favourites for tomorrow’s finals. Paul Bugg and Noel Purton were also undefeated and should make it to the grand final. Phil Prouse and John Burley won their section with two wins and a draw with the final semi-final position going down to the wire. In the end it was the team of Peter Thow and Les Reynolds who narrowly won their section on shot difference from Bill Mottershead and Chook Downie.
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 Kings Meadows.
Bowls Tasmania will be live streaming the Grand Final of the Bowling Arm Pairs Championships on its Facebook page on Sunday from 1pm.
