Douce and Billing make it back-to-back State Senior Pairs Championships
In a high-quality grand final, Turners Beach’s Greg Douce and East Launceston’s Mitch Billing made it back-to-back State Senior Men’s Pairs Championships at the Rosny Park Bowls Club yesterday in the final event of the Bowls Tasmania Seniors (Over 60’s) State Championships.
Douce and Billing were crowned State Senior Men’s Pairs Champions when they defeated Claremont’s Michael Hall and Buckingham’s Phil Wheatley 13-10 in a great grand final that was not decided until the final bowl Douse started strongly and led by five shots after six ends and increased his lead to seven shots after nine ends before Hall strung together four winning ends in a row to level the scores with two ends to play. Hall had opportunities to win the last two ends and the match but Douce steadied and held on to win the match and the championship by three shots.
In two very tight men’s semi-finals, Douce and Billing defeated Claremont’s Paul Hart and Michael Taylor 12-7 and Hall and Wheatley beat East Launceston’s David Minns and Invermay’s Chris Lee 10-8.
Penguin’s Rose’anne Howard-Smith and South Burnie’s Leanne Lockart were never headed in defeating Glenorchy Rodman’s Michelle Moate and Di Peck to take out the State Senior Women’s Pairs Championship winning convincingly 17-6. Howard-Smith jumped out to an eight-shot lead after six ends . Moate closed the gap to four shots after eight ends but Howard Smith steadied and won five of the last six ends to win the championship by eleven shots.
In the women’s semi-finals, Howard-Smith and Lockley defeated Bridport’s Maxine Monson and Buckingham’s Jeanette Lane 14-3 and Moate and Peck were too good for Franklin’s Carol Bannister and Orford’s Lyn Crosswell winning 19-2.
