EDDIE Fann of Port Shepstone Country Club won the gold medal (again) at the 2016 Warwick Bowls SA Senior Masters Singles Championships at The Wanderers in Johannesburg last weekend.
What makes Eddie’s win remarkable is that he was, at 70, the oldest in the tournament.
“Put it this way, I thought I had already reached and gone past my peak, so this was pleasing,” he said.
Although he has now won the title four times, he said this was one of the hardest ones.
“It was a very tough section and it was extremely hot,” he explained.
At The Wanderers he drew on his vast experience playing big games. “I’ve played many finals, including here in KBA events, and feel I have learnt how to handle the pressure,” he said.
“I could see my opponent was taking a bit of strain as he was new, whereas I had the benefit of playing past finals,” he said.
The secret to his success, aside from his obvious talent for the game, is fairly simple.
“If I play a bad shot, I forget about it. I try to remain positive and say to myself ‘Eddie, you can do this’,” he said.
The score in the final was 21-15.
As well as his four gold medals (2008, 2009, 2011 and 2016), he also has come second twice (2010 and 2014) and picked up three bronze medals (2007, 2012 and 2015).
His only ‘missing year’ was in 2013. “We got blown away in a howling gale in Port Elizabeth,” he laughed.
Ellen Cawker and Maureen Muller placed fourth and fifth respectively in the senior women’s sections.
Full results are available at https://kingfisherba.weebly.com.
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