A disrupted campaign due to COVID-19 proved no barrier for Geoff Walker and Mark Larsen in claiming a third straight Major Pairs title at Windang Bowls.
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The 2018 Zone 16 Champion of Club Champion Pairs winners will chase the Zone crown for 2020 following another fine performance at club level.
A long championship season culminated in Walker and Larsen clinching the Major Pairs crown with a 23-8 victory in the final over Peter Thomson and Mick Dihm.
The defending champs were in great touch in the decider and took control early by winning the first six ends to lead 16-0.
In the opening round last March, Walker and Larsen accounted for Paul Nesbitt and Andrew Photiou 19-7 and followed it up with a 35-10 round two win over Dave Tyrrell and Daniel Davies.
The Major Pairs was put on hold for more than three months before Walker-Larsen faced Windang's first female players to enter the new Open competition - Deb Waldron and Suzanne Tyrrell.
The ladies advanced to the last eight with a 20-18 win over Geoff Honeycombe and Brett Price.
Walker and Larsen booked their semi-final place with a hard fought 21-12 win and qualified for the final with a tough 19-15 victory over John Penno and Paul Cable.
In the other semi-final Thomson and Dihm beat Jim Sellars and Alan Robb 21-9.
Walker and Larsen will be contenders in the upcoming Zone 16 Champion of Club Champion Pairs having won the title in 2018. At the State Finals at Ballina they were knocked by the eventual State champions, the gun Cabramatta combination of Aaron Wilson and Ben Milthorpe.
In other Windang Championship results for 2020, Mick Dihm made it back-to-back wins in the Senior Singles, plus with partner Dale Jones is into the final of the Senior Pairs.
Jones and Dihm picked to a four on the last two ends for a dramatic 21-19 victory over Chris Jedryhowski and Gary Griffiths in their Senior Pairs semi-final.
Meanwhile, teenager Daniel Davies skipped his side to victory in the Windang Club Fours decider; beating the defending champions in the semis.
In the first championship of the year Davies and partners Dave Tyrrell, Chris Bradley and Geoff Walker overcame reigning champs Phil Greatorix, Rob Jordan, Danny Johnson and Peter Sturm 27-10 in the semis and then beat Chris Jedryhowski, Mark Haworth, John Penno and skip Paul Cable 26-10 in the final.
In Major Singles, five-time champion Mark Larsen is unavailable this year due to work, with 32 bowlers bidding for the crown.
The event has been disrupted by rain and extreme winds, but three first round games could not have been tighter - with 31-30 wins to Brian Battersby over Dave Tyrrell; Jim Wolter over Peter Grogan and Garry Burke over Chris Bradley.
Terry McKay and 2019 Major Singles runner-up John Penno have also advanced to the quarter-finals.
Bellambi decider goes down to the wire
Mick Horrell savoured his biggest win and partnered Phil Bartrim to an exciting extra end triumph in the Bellambi Major Pairs final.
The Grade 6 pennants pair won four matches and defeated Grade 4 duo Nobby Clark and Milavoy Marcovic 19-18 in a tense decider.
With the match locked 18-18 on the first extra end, Marcovic held shot but disturbed his potentially winning shot with his final bowl to leave his opponents with the winning shot and not needing to play their final bowl.
Bartrim and Horrell took the lead with a seven on the third end before Clark and Marcovic won four straight ends to level at 13-13 on 13 ends.
It remained tight for the final eight ends before a little good fortune and some fine play was rewarded in a special victory for Bartrim and Horrell, who are regular partners in social events.
Horrell won the Minor Singles in 2014 but this is his biggest success, while Bartrim claimed the Zone Rookies Pairs with Keith Elliott in 2011 and his club Fours in 2016.
''It's great to be able to represent Bellambi in the Zone Champion of Champion Pairs,'' Bartrim said.
Clark is enjoying a great 2020 having clinched his first major honour in winning the Major Singles recently, while Marcovic has won several club events including the Major Singles, Minor Singles, the Pairs and Triples.
The championship season is continuing at Bellambi with the Triples, featuring another strong field of bowlers keen to make the best of a year dominated by COVID.
Zone 16 set for bumper October of play
Zone 16's schedule changes for the rest of 2020 will include a bumper month of Zone finals in October.
COVID-19 has delivered the most difficult year for bowls at every level, with national and state events postponed or cancelled, while Zone championships have also been severely affected.
But with the latest restrictions lifted last week, barring any unforeseen changes, the Zone Open Singles quarter-finals and semis will be hosted by Woonona BC on October 10 with the final on October 11.
Seven clubs have a representative in the quarter-finals of the President's Reserve Singles at Windang on October 10, with the final the following day.
The Senior Singles start October 10 with the final at Figtree on October 17.
Fairy Meadow BC will host the finals of the Zone Champion of Club Champion Pairs and Singles at the end of October.
The 2020 NSW State Championships are likely to be played in February and March next year.
