Berkeley Bowling Club's Damien Harrison won six matches in two days at Corrimal Bowling Club to claim the Illawarra Zone 16 Rookies Singles crown.

Harrison edged out Nathan Severino 17-15 in an exciting final to earn the right to represent Illawarra at the state finals at Raymond Terrace in October.

Harrison beat Warilla's Wayne Moore by 14 shots in his opening sectional match and clinched section 7 with a seven shot win over Wiseman Park's Mark Dellaca.

Harrison went on to beat Warilla's Donald McLeod 17-13 in the post sectional round, then beat Towradgi's Bruce Dawson 17-4 in the quarter-finals.

The Berkeley member reached the final with a tight 17-13 semi-final win over Dapto Citizens' Tom Chidiac.

Severino was in the only section with four players and won all three round robin games with an impressive combined margin of +35 shots. After a bye in the post sectional round, the Corrimal bowler accounted for John McLaughlin (Fairy Meadow) 17-2 and booked a spot in the decider with a 17-9 win over another Fairy Meadow bowler, Keith Pearce.

The tournament featured 37 bowlers representing most of the clubs in Illawarra Zone 16, with the last weekend of winter providing bright sunshine and excellent playing conditions.

The Rookies Singles and Rookies Pairs have proved a tremendous success and give registered bowlers with 30 months' experience or less a chance to play against those of a similar standard for a zone title.

A bowler is eligible to nominate for the Rookies Singles and Pairs for up to two years, providing he has not won the state event.

The Rookies Singles and Rookies Pairs qualifiers are underway across the other 15 zones in NSW, with the state finals at Raymond Terrace BC on October 17-18.

Illawarra will hold their Rookies Pairs competition later this month.