Champion of Champions crowned
Harris and Featherby champions The finals of the Men’s and Women’s Champion of Club Champions Singles were completed at Yokine Bowling Club Sunday 24th April. The two winners will now represent WA in the National Champion of Champions in October at a club to be announced in Victoria.
Harris claims coveted Singles crown
Cambridge’s Pieter Harris is the 2016 Men’s Champion of Champions Singles winner defeating fellow State Representative Manning’s Thomas Mitchell 25-11 in the final. It marks the second year in a row the Cambridge representative has won the event. It’s also Harris’ second Champion of Champions title with his first coming nineteen years ago in 1997. Harris got better as the day went on winning each knockout game by more than his previous on the way to the title.
Mitchell played Rod Cooper of Kalamunda in his semi final and started very strongly scoring the first nine shots of the match. Cooper started to warm into the match winning four of the next five ends to close the deficit to five shots but Mitchell seemed determined to kill the game off quickly. A three followed by a four took the score to 18-6 and the result seemed to be a formality. Cooper scored the next two shots but Mitchell had too much in his locker and powered away again to run out a 25-9 winner.
Harris played his semi final against Wagin’s perennial Country All Star Warren Holt. Holt started well to jump out to a 6-1 lead but Harris found his rhythm to get back 7-6. That was the last time Holt would be in front as Harris rattled off twelve unanswered shots to lead 18-7. Holt would score a single against the flow but Harris replied with a three and a one on the following end put himself in a winning position with a 22-7 lead. Determined to give himself a chance Holt won three of the next four ends but it wasn’t enough as Harris finished it off 25-12.
The final between Harris and Mitchell started well for Harris as he picked up three on the first end followed by a two. Mitchell responded with two ones but Harris pulled them back immediately. Another single to Mitchell was followed by a four to Harris giving him an eight shot lead. Mitchell recovered well however getting all four shots back within two ends to get back to 11-7 down. It looked like it would be a tight game with Mitchell having won more ends than Harris but Harris put the foot down. Eight shots in four ends powered him away to a 19-7 lead and despite a rally from Mitchell who scored four of the next five shots Harris scored a two and a three in succession to finish the game at 25-11.
Featherby takes flight
The 2016 Women’s Champion of Champions Singles was won by Mosman Park’s Lisa Featherby. Featherby defeated Jenny Alexander of Warwick in the final 25-7 to win her first Champion of Champions title. Featherby showed her quality throughout the tournament winning by more than five shots in all but one of her games with that win coming against fellow state representative Hailey Adams in the semi final.
Alexander played State Pairs runner up Angela Gunson of Morley in her semi-final in a tight contest in which neither player was able to hold a substantial lead for any amount of time. The tone was set early in the game as the players fought to 5-5. Alexander then manufactured an opportunity and scored seven shots in the next three ends to break away for the first time in the game at 12-5. In what would become a common theme throughout the match Gunson fought back to score the next eight shots to take the lead 13-12. Alexander bolted again but much slower this time, winning the next seven ends for eight shots and looked likely to go on at 20-13. However Gunson responded again picking up three two’s and a single to get back to even at 20-20. Alexander tried to push away again with a two on the next end but Gunson was determined to stay in it and won the next end. It was the last shot she would pick up as Alexander scored three shots over the next two ends to win a tight match 25-21.
The semi final between Featherby and Osborne Park’s Adams didn’t go entirely to script for the eventual champion. Things had started well enough when Featherby picked up a three to take a 7-5 lead but Adams couldn’t have responded any better claiming a maximum four. From there she took control due largely to another maximum four ends later. Having won seven of the last eight ends Adams lead 19-8 and was in control looking the likely winner. Featherby’s fighting spirit came out as she picked five shots before conceding again and then picked six in three ends afterwards to get back to 20-19 down with all the momentum. Adams tried to claw the momentum back winning a single on the next end to go two shots ahead but it wasn’t enough. Featherby winning four more ends to pick up the six shots she needed to win 25-21.
After two tight semi finals one could expect another hard fought game in the final. Unfortunately it wasn’t the case as Featherby powered away early. Alexander won the first end but lost the next nine as Featherby picked up two threes and a four during her run to put herself in an almost unassailable position at 18-1 in front. To Alexander’s credit she fought back to make sure the deficit did not become any worse but the match was over seven ends later, Featherby winning four of them, to become the champion with a 25-7 victory.
