Country Duo Crowned Men’s State Pairs Champions
Sincere apologies to our Men’s State Pairs Champions for the unacceptable delay in publishing the final story of the 2022-23 Dyenamic Men’s State Pairs
The Dyenamic WA Men’s State Pairs finals were played on great greens with magnificent weather at the Sorrento Bowling Club in the Christmas New Year period. With a host of players with little experience on the last day of state events, along with a couple with a title or two to their name, it was a great day of bowls for the crowd of people who made their way down to Sorrento.
The first Semi-Final saw the country pairing of Warren Holt (Wagin) and Mark Wunnenberg (Darkan) take on Doubleview’s Simon Deering and Cameron Bell. The Holt duo started strongly on the scoreboard, jumping out to a 9-0 lead after six ends, but the game was much closer than the scoreboard suggested. Deering finally got on the board on the seventh end with a single only to see Holt grab a two back the next end.
Just when it looked like Deering was getting back into the game by taking a three and a two consecutively on the ninth and tenth ends and moving the score to 6-11, Holt hit back with a three and then a four, two ends later to extend the lead to eleven shots 18-7. It was down the stretch that Warren Holt showed his experience. Although Mark Wunnenberg was still leading well, Deering and Bell were getting some results they weren’t getting earlier on and were pushing hard to tighten the scoreboard up. Holt was able to steady the ship when required and with a draw here and a drive there, Holt and Wunnenberg went through to the final 23-14.
The second Semi-Final saw club mate against club mate and father against son with South Perth’s Marcus Sear and Callum Alberti versus Tyrone Alberti and Mitchell Biglin. It was a tense affair early with neither side backing down with not only a state pairs final on the line but also bragging rights in the Alberti household.
1-1 after two ends, 2-2 after four ends, and 4-4 after six ends, it looked like we could be in for a long and tight contest. A run of three consecutive ends to Sear gave them the lead 7-4 but a two to Alberti pulled it back to 6-7 at the halfway stage of the game. However, the Sear/Alberti combination were starting to look dangerous as their consistency was looking like it could be a telling factor. With more bowls in the head, Sear again won three ends in a row and by taking twos on all three ends, it took the lead out to 13-6. A three to Alberti to move to 9-14 was answered by two singles to Sear and with only three ends left, Sear led 15-9. A couple of singles left Tyrone Alberti and Mitch Biglin needing five on the last end to steal the win, but Sear and Callum Alberti were too steady and held on to win 17-11 and move into the state pairs final.
The Dyenamic WA Men’s State Pairs final saw all four players looking for their first state pairs title and for three of the players, their first state title of any kind. The experienced member of the group was Warren Holt with a number of state titles to his name and a 2022 WA state team member.
Both teams were feeling each other out early but it was Holt and Mark Wunnenberg who settled quicker to take a 7-1 lead after a three on the fifth end. A run of singles over the next four ends saw Marcus Sear and Callum Alberti grab three of those singles as they started to get into the match down 4-8 at the halfway mark of the eighteen-end final.
A two to Holt was matched and raised by Sear as he took a two on the eleventh and another two on the twelfth end to close in to 8-10. All players were now at the top of their game in the remarkably still conditions at the Sorrento Bowling Club and there were plenty of bowls in the head for all team members to work with. Another two was scored, this time Holt grabbed it and again moved away to lead by four. A couple of singles to Sear again closed the lead to two and also saw him and Alberti move ahead in the ends won count 8-7 even though they were behind on the scoreboard.
With only three ends to play and two shots in the score, it was anybody’s game. But then a big three on the sixteenth end to Holt and Wunnenberg saw them move the score to 15-10 and then a follow-up two put Holt and Wunnenberg seven in front with only one end to play and things were looking down for Sear and Alberti. As the last end progressed an eight looked out of reach for Sear and attempts to kill the end were in vain.
After a great final, the country duo of Warren Holt and Mark Wunnenberg were crowned the 2022-23 Dyenamic WA Men’s State Pairs Champions with a 17-11 win over the gallant Marcus Sear and Callum Alberti.
