Nelspruit Pair snatches third place with two-point victory
This tournament, which is somewhat unique, is open to teams of two bowlers from the same club in any combination.
The Specsavers Pro 10 Lawn Bowls Tournament is now in its second year. This is a national event run by Bowls South Africa.
This tournament, which is somewhat unique, is open to teams of two bowlers from the same club in any combination.
Matches are played over 10 ends with each player using two bowls only. Furthermore the scoring system is different from lawn bowls with which most of us are familiar, in that the four bowls closest to the jack all score points, from four for the shot, to one point for the fourth shot, giving 10 available points per end, and 100 for each game.
Every club have the opportunity to host their own internal Specsavers competition, with the most successful pairs going forward to the provincial tournament, from which the two finalists go to the national event to be held in Johannesburg on September 12 and 13.
The Mpumalanga Provincial event was recently held at Nelspruit Bowling Club at Matumi. Twenty four teams from Middelburg, Witbank, Secunda, Mbombela, LVCC, Barberton, Malalane and White River, were divided into four sections of six teams that played on a round-robin basis.
From this four semi-finalists locked horns, and in what seemed like no time at all, the bowlers enjoyed the spectacle of two Barberton teams fighting it out for the major honours, while Mbombela and yet another Barberton pair contested third place.
In the final Kosie Smit and Heckie Horn played against the ladies combination of Martie van Vuuren and Joey Bam, with the men getting off to a flying start, and soon being well clear.
Despite a determined fightback by the ladies, an unlucky movement of the jack on the ninth end by Martie van Vuuren sealed victory for the Barberton men.
The third and fourth play-off also saw a gritty effort from Tinus van Vuuren and Dawie van der Merwe from Barberton men, who were trailing Brian Jones and Quinton Wilson of the local club by 10 points going into the final end.
Needing a 10 point full house, to force the match into extra time, Barberton were lying three shots to the good, with the final bowl to be delivered, but Tinus van Vuuren left his second bowl agonisingly short, to give the Nelspruit combination a two-point victory, and third place.
