Nairn foursome simply awesome in State Fours
Final’s day of the 2021 Dyenamic Men’s State Fours took place at the Rossmoyne Bowling Club on Sunday 31st October with a magnificent crowd in attendance.
The first Semi Final saw the South Perth team of Justin Opie, Glenn Pauling, Troy Kinnane and Scott Walker overwhelm Daniel Trewhella, Tom Mitchell, Peter Ker and Mark Simpson. After a back and forth first four ends, Opie exploded away over four ends with a one, two, three and finally a five to break the game open at 13-3. Walker was all over the jack from the leads position and received ample back up from his teammates when required, with Opie producing some great bowls to produce the final numbers.
The Trewhella team tried to fight back and won six of the last ten ends but another five on the twelfth end and a four on the final end ensured a 26-17 win to Justin Opie and a South Perth team in the final.
The second semi final was a similar story to the first semifinal with the composite team of Blake Nairn, Clive Adams, Dale Marsland and Dave Rankin jumping away from Connor Biddle, Steve O’Neill, Kevin Pickering and Ian Lilburne. Nairn stung a number of ends together early and made them count by making them multiples to lead 14-5 after nine ends. A big and slightly fortunate five on the tenth end to Nairn looked to have finished the game early with a 19-5 lead.
It was then the Biddle team found some touch to grab consecutive scores with a three and a four to get within distance at 12-19 down with six ends to play. But with the Nairn lead team playing with too much consistency, Biddle was unable to close the gap and the two teams shared the last six ends, winning three ends each and Nairn winning 24-16.
The final loomed as a great contest, with the Rossmoyne undercover green playing well and two highly skilled teams in the final. A three on the first end to Nairn was replied to by Opie, with his team taking the next three ends to take the lead. A two to Nairn on the fifth end was the start of a match winning run of six ends. A couple of twos, a three and some singles saw the lead climb to nine shots, with Nairn leading 13-4 after ten ends.
Rankin and Walker were having a great battle in the leads position, but it was Dale Marsland from the seconds position that was changing the heads over for the Nairn team. Turning shot bowls over and trailing jacks around the corner, continually put the Opie team under pressure.
Showing some signs of a revival, Opie won two ends in a row with a one and a two, but it was short lived as Nairn replied with a four and a one to strengthen their lead to 18-7 with four ends to play. Again, Opie won two ends in a row to give them some hope but it was finally snuffed out on the seventeenth end when a two to Nairn put the game beyond doubt.
While the final may not have had the finish the crowd wanted, it was still played at a high standard by both teams with Blake Nairn, Clive Adams, Dale Marsland and Dave Rankin being crowned the 2021-22 Men’s Dyenamic State Fours Champions.
Interestingly the team entered the competition after being selected to represent WA at the since cancelled Australian Sides Championships with skip Blake Nairn inviting the others to join him in the State Fours and it turned out to be a great decision by all them to play together.
Men’s State Fours Championships Results
