Bruce last bowl winner in State Fours
The Rossmoyne Bowling Club was the scene of some wonderful final’s games in the 2021-22 Women’s State Fours on Sunday.
The first semi was a replay of last seasons final with 2020-21 Champions Kristina Krstic, Hailey Packer, Robyn O’Brien and Helen Heal taking on Lisa Featherby, Laura Merz, Denise Kelly and Linda Warburton. The crowd barely had time to take their seats when the Featherby combination jumped away with a six on the first end. Following it up with a single, three and another single, it was 11-0 before Krstic finally got on the board with a one on the fifth end.
Another three to Featherby and they were making every post a winner as they cruised into the twelfth end with a 21-3 lead. A run of three winning ends to Krstic put the score at 21-7 with three ends to play but a single on sixteenth end to Featherby saw Krstic concede with two ends left to play and Featherby winning 22-7.
The second semifinal was a much closer affair and was anybody’s game with three ends to play. Jennie Bruce, Shari Solly, Amanda Masters and Shaan Saunders started the game strongly with a four and a two early to lead Noelene Abe, Shelley Radcliffe, Beverley Davidson and Irene Leahy 6-1 after three ends. Abe hit back with two threes to take the lead at 7-6.
For the next ten ends the two teams went back and forth, 7-7, 8-8, 10-10 and then 14-13 to Jennie Bruce after fifteen ends. On the sixteenth end the game suddenly changed, when out of nowhere Bruce grabbed a five to lead by six with only two ends to play. Another single on the second last end meant Abe needed an eight to win on the last end but as mostly happens it wasn’t to be and only a single meant Bruce and her team went through to the final as 20-14 winners.
As with the first semifinal, it was a big start to the game. However instead of Featherby getting the six, it was Bruce who struck first with the popular first end number. Not to be deterred, Featherby followed up on the next end with a five of her own before normality resumed with only a single on the third end of the game to leave the scores at 6-6.
As with the second semifinal, the game settled down to a great contest with both teams trading bowls and scores. Bruce would grab a two or three shot lead and then Featherby would fight back for much of the next ten ends. Featherby finally found her team in front when on the fifteenth end, she got a single to edge out to a 15-14 lead with three ends to play. Another single to Featherby saw the lead go to two with two ends to play and then the Bruce team set up a grandstand finish by grabbing a two and going into the final end level at 16-16.
With the skips to play, Featherby held the shot, but the Bruce team was attacking the jack with weight. After a miss on her first bowl, Bruce played the same shot but changed hands for her last bowl of the match. With her bowl halfway down the green Bruce’s teammates as well as the crowd were getting excited and when the bowl connected with the jack taking it to the ditch a wall of cheers rang around the green. Featherby still had a bowl to play and had between two and three feet to draw to the ditch to get the shot. While the line was good, it always looked a little short and the bowl pulled up a foot or two shorter than it needed to be.
The celebrations began soon after with Jennie Bruce, Shari Solly, Shaan Saunders and Amanda Masters crowned the 2021-22 Women’s Dyenamic State Fours Champions.
Women’s State Fours Championships Results
