GenesisCare Enforcers lay down the law
Bowls Blitz 03 concluded at the Sorrento Bowling Club on Sunday with WA’s finest bowlers putting on a great display.
The weather looked threatening early on Sunday morning after plenty of rain during the week, but the weather gods were on our side after only a sprinkle of rain to start the day and then staying away for the rest of the day. With only two round robin games remaining on Sunday morning, before the top two teams played off in the final, every team had something to play for.
The GenesisCare Enforcers started the day in top position but came undone in the first game of the day when the 4th placed Dyenamic Cyclones won two rinks to one to move within 16 points of top position with one round remaining.
The Professionals Stars started the day in 2nd position and had a come from behind win over the AFGRI Chargers also two rinks to one. With only ten minutes left on the clock in the timed game, it looked likely the Chargers were going to take all three rinks and put the Stars out of commission. Stars’ Lisa Featherby’s triples team won the last five ends to get over Anthony Williams by a single shot and Blake Nairn won four of the last five ends to get over the Chargers John Slavich, also by one shot.
The final fixture of round 9 saw the last placed Liquor Traders Pirates have a stunning win over 3rd placed and potential finalist, Seniors Recreation Council Sharpshooters. The Pirates took all three rinks and accumulated a massive 56 points for the round.
The final round robin fixtures saw three teams separated by 16 points with the 2nd placed Stars taking on the 3rd placed Cyclones. Lead by Clive Adams in the fours with an 18-3 win and Shane Giudice-Nairn in the pairs with a 13-6 win, the Cyclones accumulated 39 points to the Stars 24 points.
The Pirates continued their resurgence by taking down the 1st placed Enforcers. The Pirates will rue missed opportunities in earlier rounds as they made up 40 points on the leaders in the last two rounds to finish 5th on the ladder.
The Chargers and the Sharpshooters went into the last round with no chance to figure in the finals but put on a great show to finish with 35 points each with one rink win, one rink lost and a drawn rink each. The Chargers would finish in 6th position and the Sharpshooters in 4th place on the final ladder.
Although the Enforcers lost the last round, they were able to hold onto top position on the ladder and a place in the final curtesy of 2nd and 3rd positions playing each other in the last round. With the Cyclones win over the Stars, the Cyclones leapt over the top to take the second place in the final by a mere 5 points. That equates to either a drawn rink or five ends over the many ends played over the ten rounds.
The Grand Final was played in perfect conditions on Sunday afternoon with the GenesisCare Enforcers taking on the Dyenamic Cyclones. All disciplines were on show with one rink of singles, one pairs, one triples and one fours. Despite the Enforcers finishing on top of the ladder, earlier in the day the Cyclones had already beaten the Enforcers and was a major reason they were able to move up into second spot.
The singles match up saw the Enforcers’ Scott Walker against the Cyclones’ Clive Adams. In an extremely high standard affair, the lead changed a number of times over the one and a half hour time limit. Adams started strongly to lead 3-1, but Walker leveled it up and then created his own three shot lead before Adams leveled up at 6-6. At 10-12, Walker strung six ends together to have a match winning lead at 18-12. Adams got back to 17-18 but a three to Walker and then the time running out saw Scott Walker draw first blood for the Enforcers.
The pairs matchup had the Enforcers’ Hailey Packer and Cameron Green taking on Cyclones’ Bill Brandsma and Helen Stevens. Right from the start, it was Packer and Green all over Brandsma and Stevens. A three and a couple of singles saw Packer with 5 on the scoreboard before Brandsma collected a single. A string of four ends and then a tenth end four saw Packer lead 14-2. As allowed in the Blitz, the Cyclones Manager Stephen Beckwith switched Helen Stevens into the fours and had Brad Gillingham come across to lead in the pairs. It brought about immediate results and Brandsma won three ends in a row to get to 9-14. With time running out, a couple of desperate Brandsma shots were unsuccessful and the Enforcers closed out the Pairs 15-9.
The triples matchup saw a couple of the big guns take on each other. The Enforcers had Daniel Trewhella in charge with Beau McGrechan and Lisa Smith adding terrific support. The Cyclones put up Shane Giudice-Nairn, with Mitch Biglin and Pam Chalmers putting in the bowls up front. Like the pairs rink, it was all Enforcers early as they set up a 6-2 lead. Giudice-Nairn found a two to close the gap, but Trewhella then put the foot down and took out the next six ends, with a couple of threes involved, to hold a big 17-4 lead. The last four ends saw both teams win two ends but the damage was done as time ran out and the Enforcers won their third rink of the Grand Final.
The last rink involved was the fours with the Enforcers’ Steve Novak, Ben Leggett, Lexie Webster and Saffronne Alden taking on Cyclones’ Neville Stevens, Donna Blackwell, Brad Gillingham and Kaitlin Tyrrell. Alden was a last day replacement for original member Richard Schinzig. Schinzig had a great tournament, but Alden was a fine replacement in the front end of the rinks all day. Although Stevens won the first end, again it was the Enforcers who took control early with Novak leading 11-3 halfway through the game. A four to Stevens gave them some hope but Novak had all the answers and strung together two singles and then responded with a two after Stevens closed the gap with his own double. A last end three to the Cyclones closed the gap but the Enforcers held on to take the final rink of the Grand Final and close out a clean sweep victory.
Congratulations to the GenesisCare Enforcers of Daniel Trewhella, Hailey Packer, Scott Walker, Cameron Green, Beau McGrechan, Lisa Smith, Steve Novak, Ben Leggett, Lexie Webster, Saffronne Alden and Richard Schinzig and Manager Geoff Watson on taking out the 2023 Bowls Blitz Trophy.
Earlier in the day the GenesisCare Enforcers’ Scott Walker also collected the MVP of the Bowls Blitz as voted on by all the team managers after every game.
Check out all the results from the final day right here
The final ladder
