Local bowls pair win regional competition
Piet and Marina Smith of the Malelane Bowls Club proved too tough to beat when they won the Mpumalanga Lowveld Bowls mixed pairs competition over the past weekend.
The Smiths from Malelane were one of three pairs who qualified to compete in the provincial tournament in Nelspruit on April 22 and 23 after a great performance at the Mpumalanga Lowveld Bowls mixed pairs competition over the weekend.
The competition was sponsored by the Nelspruit Bowls Club, with the sectional games taking place on March 25 and the semi-finals and finals concluding on April 1.
It was a tough competition, with 35 teams competing in seven sections to be one of four teams to advance to the semi-finals.
During the sectionals, conditions were cool and overcast and the Smiths emerged as their section’s winners. Other winners were Diane and Ben Enslin of Nelspruit, Dean Paiva and Beryl Biggs, Denis and Miranda Paiva, Hardus Korf and Lynn Nicholas, Francois Hanekom and Gwyn Korf of White River, Richard Quinnell and Anne Coetzee of Sabie, and Brian Coulson and Elda Rautenbach of LVCC.
LEES: Rolbalspelers van regoor SA kuier saam by Selati Toernooi
In the quarter-finals, Piet and Marina Smith, Denis and Miranda Paiva, Dean Paiva and Beryl Biggs, and Richard Quinnell and Anne Coetzee were the top teams. The Sabie pairing of Quinnell and Coetzee had a brilliant day, winning all four of their sectional matches and beating pre-tournament favourites Ben and Diane Enslin.
On April 1, conditions were totally different to the previous week, as the four teams battled over 21 ends to earn their spot in the provincials. The Sabie pair gave Piet and Marina Smit a hard fight, leading by 12 shots to seven at one stage. However, a five on the second-last end sealed the victory for the Malelane bowlers.
The Smiths faced Denis and Miranda Paiva in the final, where the small crowd saw some stunning bowls played.
The two leads, Marina and Miranda, matched each other shot for shot, while Denis struggled to outmatch Piet. The Malelane bowler led his team to victory with such a wide margin that they secured the match by the 18th end.
Dean Paiva and Beryl Biggs won against their Sabie opponents to take third place.
The article was adapted from a press release on the event, written by Chris Colvert.
