Bowls Blitz Continues at Joondalup on Sunday 23rd July
Fine weather has been promised as Bowls Blitz 03 continues on Sunday 23rd July at the Joondalup Bowling Club.
Joondalup BC will have the kitchen open early for spectators and players alike so come on down and enjoy the day watching many of the best metro and country players in the state go head-to-head in fours, triples, pairs, and singles.
At the conclusion of Day 1 at Sorrento, The Professionals Stars took a slender 11-point lead over the AFGRI Chargers. The GenesisCare Enforcers are a further 6 points back in third with the Senior Recreation Council Sharpshooters in fourth, the Dyenamic Cyclones fifth, and the Liquor Trader Pirates in sixth.
With 10 points awarded for every rink win and 1 point for every end won, there are plenty of points available on Day 2 at Joondalup and all teams are still in the hunt for a top two position and a place in the finals. At the conclusion of Day 2, the Bowls Blitz will continue at Sorrento on Sunday 30th July for the final two rounds before lunch and the 1 v 2 final in the afternoon.
Round 5 starts at 9.30 am and sees the return of a number of familiar faces and some new players making their debut.
1st placed The Professionals Stars take on 5th placed Dyenamic Cyclones and have a number of big ins. Under 18 Champ Callum Alberti takes his place in the team as well as 2022 State Singles Champion David Downey. Also making an appearance is the big Chev, John Slavich. Chevy has promised plenty of noise and hype as he returns to the big leagues.
Coming into the Dyenamic Cyclones is the important Donna Blackwell. Donna is the 2022-23 State Pairs Champion and is returning from injury. Another pairs champion, this time the Men’s State Pairs champion Mark Wunnenberg, will also add a touch of quality to the Cyclones.
In the fours, it will be a battle of the Batavia League Champions, when Joel Leeson (Stars) and Shane Giudice-Nairn (Cyclones) skip their respective teams at 9.30 am. The returning John Slavich will play third to Joel, while the returning Donna Blackwell will be Shane’s third. The match could be decided in the lead position when Callum Alberti (Stars) comes up against the consistent Mitchell Biglin (Cyclones).
Also in round 5 are two triples fixtures. Lisa Featherby (Stars) will skip against her Mixed State Pairs partner Bill Brandsma (Cyclones). They should know each other’s game very well, with each player trying hard to get one over on their partner. The other triple is a huge matchup between two Cambridge stars, Blake Nairn (Stars) takes on Clive Adams (Cyclones). This game could go either way and may come down to the battle of the seconds, David Downey (Stars) and Mixed Pairs Champion Brad Gillingham (Cyclones).
The second matchup sees two teams looking to make up ground on the ladder leaders. The GenesisCare Enforcers sit nicely in 3rd position on the ladder and come into day 2 with an unchanged lineup of players. The Liquor Trader Pirates were close in many of the rink losers on day 1 and need to start off quickly this week. The Pirates have a huge in, as Cody Packer returns after being unavailable on day 1 due to playing on the East Coast. Cody will be both a leader on and off the green and maybe the difference to turn around some of the close losers the Pirates had on Day 1.
The fours fixture is a mouth-watering proposition and is worth coming early to watch. Daniel Trewhella (Enforcers) had a great first day and will look to continue that winning mentality in his matchup with Cody Packer (Pirates), The ever-reliable Steve Novak (Enforcers) will be Daniel’s third and will be backed up by Moodiarrups Richard Schinzig (Enforcers) and super lead Lisa Smith (Enforcers). Cody has the 2023 Champion of Champion Singles winner Jack East (Pirates) as his right-hand man, as well the super experienced pair of Russell Bates (Pirates) and Linda Warburton (Pirates). This fixture promises to be the game of the tournament and is a must-see.
The two triples fixtures will also be worth a look and shows how special the Bowls Blitz is. Hailey Packer (Enforcers) is always at the backend of women’s tournaments in WA and will skip her side in the matchup against the reliable skip Sean Mawdsley (Pirates). Joondalup’s own Ben Leggett (Enforcers) has been chosen to skip the other triples fixture and will take on Sorrento’s Premier League Skip Paul Knight (Pirates).
The final Fixture sees 2nd-placed AFGRI Chargers taking on 4th-placed Senior Recreation Council (SRC) Sharpshooters. BWA President Doug Kelly is filling some big shoes as the Chargers Assistant Manager as Super Manager Kelli Wray is unfortunately unavailable this week. The pressure is on Doug to pull the right strings and get his team into the number one position on the ladder at the end of the day. Coming into the team on the green and making his debut in the Blitz is Steve Rushforth. Steve adds a lot of experience and can play a variety of positions. Jimmy Buchanan also comes into the side after being unavailable for Day 1. Louie Beurteaux keeps his place in the Chargers team with Kristina Krstic unavailable for the rest of the tournament due to playing commitments over east. For the SRC Sharshooters Country Champion Warren Holt joins the team after being unavailable on Day 1. Warren is a huge in for a team looking to move up the ladder. Another valuable inclusion sees Segan Pasalich joining the team. Segan adds a lot of depth and gives manager Bruce Eagles some much-needed versatility. Shane Knott will miss the first round of the day but will return for the other three Rounds. The reliable Neville Stevens will fill in for Shane and then transfer to the Cyclones for the remaining three rounds.
Last season’s best player in the side series Anthony Williams (Chargers), will skip the fours and will be up against Neville Stevens (Sharpshooters). Anthony has Steve Rushforth as his third, while Neville will have Steve Cerff. Both Steve and Steve are vying for a place in the Over 60’s State team, so have a lot to play for. This game could be won and lost on the mat. Last season’s state team debutant Cameron Harris (Chargers) will go head to head with one of the best draw bowlers in the state, Blake Butler (Sharpshooters). The Cameron and Blake battle should be a beauty as both vie for selection in this year’s state team.
The two triples fixtures have talent in every position on both teams. Jimmy Buchanan (Chargers) will ship his side and will be ably assisted by state representative Denise Kelly and Gingins Julie Watson. For the Sharpshooters, Michael Sweeney is the skip and Warren Holt slips into position as Michael’s third. Shaan Saunders in the lead position will give the team a great start. The final triples fixture will see Australian Indoor Singles qualifier Stewart Gosstray (Chargers) lead his team against recently crowned Connie Hicks Brooch winner Chris Ace-Watson.
With so many outstanding matchups, Joondalup BC is the place to be on Sunday 23rd July
