World Cup champion Jeremy Henry spearheads the Warilla and Illawarra charge at the State Championships Finals at Ettalong Memorial Bowling Club.
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Henry won an unprecedented three Zone 16 titles in 2014, skipping Warilla teams to victory in the Illawarra Pairs, Triple and Fours.
One of bowls’ most prestigious events, the eight-day Finals feature the 16 zone winners from across NSW in Fours, Triples, Pairs and Singles, plus Senior and State President’s Reserve Pairs and Singles.
Warilla dominated the Illawarra championships in 2014, winning five of the eight Zone 16 state championship events. With their leading players determined to play well in the club’s 50th year of bowls, Warilla bowlers took out the Illawarra Open Pairs, Triples, Fours, Senior Singles and President’s Reserve Singles.
The State Finals start on Saturday with the round of 16 and quarter-finals in the Pairs, with Henry beginning his packed program by partnering veteran Wayne Crane.
The Illawarra champions face the Zone 14 winners Ron Davis and Danny Barrett from North Haven with the winner to face the victor of the match between Lithgow City (Ian Townsend-Jeff Madden) and Moruya’s Don Cooper-Paul Cullen in Saturday afternoon’s quarter-finals.
Also on Saturday, Illawarra Senior Pairs champions, Windang’s Peter Thomson and Rick Malley, face Zone 7 neighbours Keith Elliott and Athol Dent representing Bombala BC.
The Pairs and Senior Pairs semi-finals and finals are both on Sunday.
Back-to-back Illawarra Singles champion Brett Pieper begins his bid for a state title by taking on defending state champion Ben Twist (St Johns Park, Zone 12) on Monday.
Warilla’s Geoff McGillivary is playing his first full year of Senior Singles and must be rated a strong contender for the state title, which also begins next Monday.
McGillivary meets Zone 11 champion Ray Coombes (Ashfield) in the round of 16, with a win leaving him to face the winner of the clash between one of the pre-tournament favourites Alan Smith (Gymea, Zone 12) or Trevor Imer (Northmead, Zone 10) in the quarter-finals.
The Singles and Senior Singles semi-finals and finals are next Tuesday.
Henry makes his second bid for a state title in the Fours next Wednesday against the strong St Johns Park, the Zone 12 champions skipped by Steve Anderson.
Henry’s Warilla clubmate, Jamie Nabbe, is Illawarra’s representative in the State Finals of the President’s Reserve Singles for bowlers in Grade 5 or lower.
Nabbe takes on Jason Courtin, the Zone 12 champion representing Canterbury Bankstown BC.
The State Finals finish with the State Triples and President’s Reserve Pairs next Friday and Saturday.
Henry returns to the green to partner Crane and Mitchell in the Triples against the Zone 10 champions Northmead, skipped by Michael Linnell.
Illawarra President’s Reserve Pairs champions Joseph Cox and Ray Connell from Dapto BC face Teralba’s Michael Kedwell and Bruce Illidge, representing Zone 2.
