A record entry of 42 men and 18 lady bowlers gathered on the Newcastle Bowling Club greens at the start of the Club Singles Championships last Saturday morning.

Not since the 1980s and 1990s had there been such a large entry, and the participation of so many new members was indicative of the growth of the club.

An early start was made to ensure that the competition could be completed on Sunday, with section play completed on Saturday.

The following players progressed to the knock-out stages:

Jackie Reyneke, Mariska Kuhn, Sue Hutchinson, Mariska du Bruyn, Susan Strydom and Alice Howe in the ladies’ section; and Bennie van Vuuren, Priester de Bruyn, Lou Roux, Trevor and John Douthwaite, Adrian van der Merwe, Fritz Botha, Trevor Smale, James Dlamini, Ron Howe, Brandon Delport, John Bain, Lukas Niemand and Peet du Bruyn in the men’s section.

The ladies’ playoffs saw Sue beat Mariska Kuhn before being beaten by Jackie Reyneke.

Mariska du Bruyn narrowly beat Susan Strydom before edging out Alice Howe to enter the final.

Jackie continued the good form she showed over the weekend to establish an early lead against Mariska.

Despite a brief comeback from Mariska, Jackie deservedly finished as the victor and claimed the title.

The men’s playoffs saw Lou account for Priester, Trevor D beat Adrian, Fritz beat Trevor S, Ron beat James, Brandon pip John B, and Peet edge out Lukas after a titanic battle.

The quarter finals then saw Bennie beat Lou, Fritz beat Trevor D, Brandon beat Ron, and Peet beat John D.

The semi-final clashes saw Bennie account for Fritz, while Peet narrowly edged out Brandon to set up an interesting ‘family’ final between son and father-in-law.

Bennie completes a hat-trick of titles

Peet started strongly, taking an early 10-1 lead before Bennie settled into his rhythm to narrow the gap to 12-13.

Peet then scored a three and a one to move into a 17-13 lead.

A determined Bennie fought back to score on the next four ends, winning 21-17.

In doing so, he successfully defended his title and made it three in a row.

The enthusiasm of all players, both on and off the green, and the excellent support from spectators made for a great weekend at the club.

It was a feather in the cap of all involved, especially competition secretary Trevor Moore.

his coming weekend sees the KwaZulu-Natal Country Bowls fours playoffs at Klipbank Bowling Club, with good wishes extended to the two Newcastle teams participating.

The ladies’ team comprises Alice Howe, Joan Schoon, Sue Hutchinson and Edith Pretorius, while the men’s team consists of John and Trevor Douthwaite, Bennie van Vuuren and Chris White.

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