Merz foursome claim Fours title
The 2022-23 Dyenamic Women’s State Fours ended with a classic final at the Manning Bowling on Sunday October 30th with the composite combination of Laura Merz (Manning), Therese Hastings (Manning), Kaitlin Tyrrell (Manning) and Lisa Smith (Perth & Tatts) up against another composite team of Renate Coote (Mosman Park), Maureen Cooney (Thornlie), Jenny Parker (Mosman Park) and Jacinta Zadow (Kojonup).
In the morning Semi Finals, the Merz team were too strong for the defending champions Jennie Bruce (Busselton), Shari Solly (Osborne Park), Amanda Masters (Osborne Park), Shaan Saunders (Osborne Park) 23-6. While Coote defeated last seasons runner up’s Lisa Featherby, Chris Ace-Watson, Denise Kelly, Linda Warburton (Mosman Park) in a close contest, 19-16.
The final began with Merz hitting the green running by winning the first two ends to jump to a 3-0 lead, however Coote instantly came back with a two and a four to double the Merz score and lead 6-3. A run of four ends, including a three, single, two and four, saw Merz blow out to what could have been a match winning lead after only eight ends 13-6.
All that changed at the halfway mark of the game, when on the nineth end of the eighteen-end game, Coote’s team hit back with a big six shots to draw within one shot 12-13. Another single to Coote and then a three saw the Merz quartet on the back down 13-16. But the experienced Merz team never panicked and replied again with two threes to take back the lead 19-16.
In what was a game of momentum with both teams putting together strings of winning ends, it was anyone’s game to be won. A single to Coote on the fourteenth end was only the fourth single of the game with multiple shots on an end being the usual for both teams. A single then to Merz and then a two to Coote set up a tense final two ends of the game with the score on 20-19 in Merz’s favour.
On both occasions Coote looked to be a in position to win the end but some pressure bowls, especially by Skip Laura Merz, saw her team take a single on the second last end and then another single on the last end for her team of Laura Merz, Therese Hastings, Kaitlin Tyrrell and Lisa Smith to be the 2022-23 Dyenamic WA State Fours Champions 21-19.
