Edmonds Completes Week in Style
Played Friday 7th March 2014 Scott Edmonds (Karratha) may have only been a country player for one season but he made every minute count at his first Crown Perth Men’s Countryweek. Edmonds is no stranger to big tournament wins but they do not come much bigger both physically and mentally after eight days of countryweek.
Edmonds semi final was one of the biggest games of the tournament as a former Rosenthal Medallist took on Mark Simpson (Gingin) a current state team member and a former Country Bowler of the Year. A fast start by Edmonds put Simpson under the pump and even as Simpson was coming back, Edmonds held his nerve and used all his experience to hold him off and win 21-17.
Ken Preston (Wagin) is also no stranger to big games and is a previous runner up in the 2011 Men’s Countryweek Singles Championships. Preston was determined to one better this season as he made his way to the final. The semi final between Preston and Michael Ford (Geraldton) was a classic game of one player on top for most of the game and the other player only getting a lead in the closing stages. Ford jumped out of the blocks and lead 8-0 after only 4 ends. Preston hit back with a single, a four and a two to close the gap to one before Ford again drew away and at 16-11 and then 17-14 looked the likely winner. However with both players hammering the jack, it was Preston who continued to do enough to slowly get within striking distance and then find himself in front 20-18 and only a single shot from a place in the final. But Ford was not giving up and at 20-20 it was a toss of the coin when at the conclusion of the 26th end Preston got the last shot to win 21-20.
The final started remarkable similar for Preston as he again fell behind and was 6 nil before he had time to settle. Edmonds was using his big game composure and built a solid lead of 14-5 and the game looked over. However Preston had been here before and he wasn’t going without a fight. Four consecutive winning ends to Preston, including a three, saw the Edmonds lead shrink to only three shots. Again Edmonds settled and a three of his own put him with four of the title but the heads continued to get tighter as the pressure went up and in one of the best Countryweek finals seen for a number of years the two player traded shots. However a end that sees both players struggling to win two ends in a row always aids the player who is front and so it was this game. As much as Preston applied the pressure, Edmonds kept responding and with the last eight ends shared four ends each, Edmonds reached the winning target with a 21-18 win and his first Crown Perth Men’s Countryweek Singles title.
Quarter Finals onwards results
