Warilla have come within one win of clinching the NSW State Championship Triples crown after being beaten by a star-studded Cabramatta side at Ettalong Bowling Club.
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Fifteen-year-old Toby Peters (lead), Maltese international Brendan Aquilina (second) and Jackaroos representative Jesse Noronha won three matches, before losing 25-17 to Bill Johnson, Carl Healey and Corey Wedlock (skip) in Tuesday’s championship decider.
Though outgunned in the final, it was still a great performance by the Illawarra Triples champions at the eight-day event.
The Warilla team began the championship with a 26-19 victory over Casino RSM before winning a thrilling quarter-final 23-22 against a top-notch Taren Point side of Simon Lyttle, Balgownie-based John Green and skip David Axon.
Warilla then beat the Harbord side skipped by Terry Warder 29-14 in their semi-final before bowing out to the undisputed top combination Cabramatta who won their four games by a combined score of 110-50 – with only the final not a double figure winning margin.
Meanwhile, Collies-Orb’s Glen Beveridge also had a great championship in the State President’s Reserve Singles which featured the zone singles champion in Grades 5-7.
Playing for one of the state’s smallest clubs, Beveridge was desperately close to making the final, after a last bowl 31-29 loss to eventual state champion Noel Raines (Gilgandra) in a see-sawing semi-final.
Beveridge opened his campaign with a tough 31-23 win over Pittwater Memorial’s Mark Walkden, then finished strongly to beat Mark Cummings (Ourimbah Lisarow RSL) 31-19 in the quarter-finals.
Zone 16’s Fours representatives, Towradgi Park reached the quarter-finals following a decisive 26-8 win over Wee Waa in the Round of 16. Damien Lateo, Anthony Jones, Mal Lyons and skip Pete Bonsor then lost 22-14 to a Belrose team skipped by Steve Rawlings.
Tournament favourites St Johns Park won the Fours crown with a convincing 33-8 victory over Belrose in the final. St Johns Park – including former singles champions Mat Pietersen and Ben Twist and pairs winner Nathan Wise – were pushed to the brink in their semi-final against Westport, before winning 20-17.
Meanwhile, the State President’s Reserve Pairs for the Grade 5-7 champion from each zone was also held on the opening two days.
Windang’s Paul Cable and Graham Smith were knocked out in the first round by Double Bay’s Andy Baker and Michael Rowley 18-15.
Walcha’s Kenneith Cameron and Kyle Goodwin won the title with a 25-17 win over Ourimbah-Lisarow RSL’s Tony Aldrich and Steven Balsdon in the final.
The semi-finals and final of the Open Pairs and Senior Pairs are on Thursday before the State Championships conclude with the blue-ribbon Singles and Senior Singles on Friday and Saturday.
Woonona’s John Ritchie and Jack Forbes are playing in the Senior Pairs, with Warilla’s Matt Miles and Jesse Noronha representing Zone 16 in the Open Pairs.