Chevy Gets Rocking
Played Monday 25th January 2016 By Cameron Harris
John Slavich has won the 2016 Men’s State Singles, winning the final at Manning Bowling Club on Monday. The 2014 runner up defeated 2005 runner up Gary Caffell 25-8 in a convincing display. Slavich was on top all game, outdrawing Caffell almost every end, winning his first state title since he won the State Fours in 2000.
Slavich had to make it past defending champion Tom Mitchell to advance to the final in a contest where the momentum continually swung. After a tight start Slavich scored seven shots in four ends to go ahead 10-3. Mitchell came back strongly to get back into the game and at 14-10 it was anybody’s game once again. Slavich countered and built the lead back out to seven four ends later but once again Mitchell rallied to get back to even at 18-18. Two ends later Mitchell scored his first three of the match to give himself a two shot lead but he would not win another end as Slavich rattled off six shots to reach the magical 25 and his second State Singles Final.
Things didn’t start as well for Caffell in his semi-final against last year’s runner up Daniel Patterson. Patterson started the game with a four and quickly shot out to a 2-8 lead. Caffell then picked up a three to steal the momentum and soon found himself in front 12-8. The critical juncture came four ends later when Caffell got the four back giving him an 18-10 lead. The match went just seven more ends as Caffell picked up two two’s and a three in that period to reach the State Singles final for the first time in a decade.
Slavich got a start early in the final and never looked back. Slavich got out to a 5-2 lead and then exploded away until he was just about uncatchable. Employing a tactic of ditch to ditch going one way and mat right up going the other, Slavich picked up two shots on six consecutive ends by continually drawing close. With the score out to 17-2 Caffell finally started to match it somewhat with his opponent scoring four shots to one over the next four ends. A three by Slavich undid much of that good work and two ends later he picked up four shots to win his first State Singles Championship.
