Wayne Crane would probably have wondered what all the fuss was about, but 34 teams honoured the Warilla champion in his annual Memorial Over 50's Pairs tournament.
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Crane played 106 Tests for NSW and won twelve Zone 16 championships in a career at the top level spanning more than two decades from the mid-1990s.
The popular bowler passed away in November 2016 just a few weeks after he and Warilla clubmates Jamie Mitchell and Jeremy Henry clinched the NSW State Triples title.
The trio were State Triples runners-up in 2014 and 2015.
Crane's Warilla mates Chris Cusack and Erin Smith were victorious for 2019 after a competitive two days of bowls meant no side was able to win all six games.
Cusack and Smith played well and held their nerve to finish on five wins (+53) and share the winners' purse of $2800.
Roger Duggan and Rod Busst were runners-up (5 wins +46) and split $1000.
David Wakeling and Ray Parkes (5 wins+39) were a close-up third and took home $600, with Paul Majkowycz and Rob Tynan fourth ($400) on five wins (+31). The $5500 event also featured a $100 prize for the top game winner in rounds one to five, with the best Game 6 winner collecting $200.
Anthony Coates and Mark Cummings won Game 1 with a +22 margin, with Brett Pieper and Peter Thelan taking Game 2 with a 17-shot win.
Peter Read and Andy Hamilton won the Game 3 prize (+15), while Peter Hughes and Brian Suckley were in great touch in Game 4 with a 28-shot win.
Paul Roberts and Mick Galli (+25) were the best of the Game 5 winners, with Peter Macauley-Chris Green collecting the bonus Game 6 prize with a 21-shot win.
Longtime Warilla bowler Geoff McGillivray met Wayne Crane in the mid-1990s and they were clubmates and teammates for many years.
''We won the State Triples and played in many zone and championship events,'' McGillivray said.
''Wayne was Mr Consistency. He was one of the best leads we've ever seen around here and just loved his bowls.
''It's great we've an event to honour him and just remember the contribution he made on and off the green.''
Meanwhile, defending Grade 1 champions Warilla have strengthened their squad for 2020 by recruiting former Australian rep Mark Casey and rising New Zealand star Seamus Curtin.
Casey and his family are moving to Canberra and will join the Gorillas in January, as will Curtin who last year as an 18-year-old reached the Singles semi-finals at the Australian Open on the Gold Coast.
Expect the Gorillas to again be the benchmark side as they look to defend their Southern Conference pennant crown and chase the holy grail of the NSW Grade 1 pennant flag.
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