Manning salute in State Triples
Men’s and Women’s Finals Wrap The finals of the Henselite Men’s and Women’s State Triples was played at Morley Bowling Club in wet conditions on Sunday 17th April.
Mitchell brothers battle it out in Men’s State Triples
Matthew Mitchell, Matthew Ayres and Miles Kemp from Manning are the 2016 Men’s State Triples champions. It was a family affair in the final with Mitchell’s brother Thomas skipper of the composite side that finished runners-up along with Shane Knott and David Farley.
The Manning side started their semi-final against Ben Garrett, Alan Cowie and Russell Bates strongly with back to back threes to start the match. From there they never lost control of the game with a four end run between ends five and eight securing their dominant position. The lead 15-2 after eight ends and although Garrett won four of the next five ends but a four from Mitchell on the fourteenth end ended any chance of a comeback. The match lasted just one more end where Mitchell picked up two to lead 23-7 and Garrett conceded the match.
Tom Mitchell and his side played against premier league grand final Blake Nairn and his side of James Webster and Cody Packer in their semi-final match. The match started extremely tight with no scores greater than two in the first twelve ends. The teams alternated ends for the first eight ends and the score was level at 5-5. The next four ends were just as even with both sides scoring two singles to take the score to 7-7 after twelve ends. Then the game opened up as Mitchell and Nairn eached picked up threes. Another three from Mitchell was followed by just a single from Nairn. Mitchell’s 13-11 lead was the largest of the game. A two on the next end meant that Nairn needed the largest count of the game on the final end to go to an extra end. Instead Nairn dropped three trying to get the shots needed and Mitchell and his side won 18-11 to make the final.
The final started just as tight as the composite side’s semi-final. No on could get more than one shot out of an end and after eight ends the scores were level at 4-4. The Manning side won the next three ends but a three from the composite team ensured they remained in touch at 8-7 after twelve ends. Then the Manning side managed to open up an advantage. A single on the thirteenth followed by a four gave them a six shot lead. With four ends to play the equation was starting to look tough for Tom and his side considering how tight the game had been. The game had started to open up though and it continued to do so as the composite boys scored a one and then a count of three. At 13-11 with two ends to play it looked to be a tense final two ends to play out. The seventeenth end loomed as critical as any score to the Manning team would make it extremely tough for them to be run down. As it turned out they were able to score a five, the biggest score of the game. Their 18-11 lead was insurmountable and the game was over with them as 2016 State Triples winners.
Manning tough it out to claim the Women’s State Triples
The 2016 Women’s State Triples champions are Liz Matthews, Sue Hogg and Helen Heal. They defeated Bev Baker, Wendy Stower and Gail Sedgewick from Mosman Park in the final. The Manning trio survived a number of close shaves with their last four games of the tournament all decided by five shots or less.
Mathews had the unenviable task of getting through defending champions and club mates Helen Morss, Therese Hastings and Toni Madigan in the semi-final. Things started poorly and the found themselves down 10-0 after just six ends. However Mathews rallied and won the next five ends including a five on the eleventh end to take the lead 11-10. In the last seven ends neither side scored more than two on an end. After three ends Mathews still held their one shot lead but gave themselves a small amount of breathing space with a two on the 16th end. It was as much space as was needed as Morss picked up two singles on the last two ends as Mathews held on to win 16-15.
The Mosman girls started their semi-final against fellow Mossies Lisa Featherby, Renate Coote and Linda Warburton strongly picking up a four on the second end to give them the early scoreboard ascendancy. However four ends later Featherby had wrestled the game back and the scores were level at 6-6. The two sides spilt the next four ends but two fours to Featherby saw her side in control at 14-9 after ten ends and in poll position to take a place in the final. Then Baker and her side took control and dominated the rest of the game. They lost only one end for the rest of the game as they powered over the top of Featherby scoring eleven shots over seven winning ends to win 20-16.
Baker and her side picked up where they left off to start the final winning six of the first seven ends. With the score at 11-1 the Mosman ladies looked to be in unstoppable form, now up nineteen shots over the last fifteen ends they had played. However Mathews repeated the pattern of the semi final and got back into the game. A three on the eighth end and a five on the eleventh meant that the Manning side were right back in it with plenty of ends remaining. Although Baker was still up by three shots the momentum was now firmly with Mathews, especially with a proven ability to comeback as shown in the semi-final. After that high scoring burst from Mathews the game tightened right up with six singles in the last seven ends. Five of these ends went to Mathews including the only double completing their second big comeback for the day, winning them the match and the State Triples title at 16-14.
