Krstic and Heal in Masters Blitz
Kristina Krstic and Helen Heal from Manning have put on a dominant display of bowls to win the final of the 2018-19 Tour de Force Travel Ladies Master Pairs at North Beach.
This was the opening women’s event of the Dyenamic Masters Series and a great field of 44 pairs entered, including 18 players who had previously won the title and 10 teams of country bowlers.
There were great contests and upsets from the first round, with six current state players being eliminated in their first game. However a great starting field meant the four teams who made the semi-finals were all class.
Angela Sharp and Kathy Gobbart hadn’t been threatened on their way to the semi-finals, but had to fight back from an early deficit to beat 2005-06 champion Lee Poletti and Kaye Blackwell 22-17.
Conversely, Kristina Krstic and Helen Heal had some tough battles in their early rounds, but put their foot down in the quarter-finals with a 22-3 win. They continued that form to record a 25-5 win over the 2007-08 winner Bev Baker and Liz Matthews in the semi-final.
The final was a case of the ‘old versus the new’ with 1996 state teammates Sharp and Gobbart taking on current state teammates Krstic and Heal. Sharp was after her first Master Pairs title, whilst Gobbart (1995/96 winner), Heal (2014/15) and Krstic (2017-18) were all looking for their second win in the event.
The final took place in blustery conditions, but this didn’t seem to faze Heal and Krstic. Heal led brilliantly to set her team up each end and Krstic consistently drew shots, sat out bowls and moved the jack to her team’s advantage. Sharp and Gobbart fought hard, but it was Heal and Krstic’s day, as they led from the start and ran away with the game to win the title 26-9.
The results of all games in the event can be found at North Beach Women’s Masters Pairs Results
The ladies next event in the Dyenamic Masters Series is the Women’s Master Singles being played February 22-24 at Mosman Park.
Article supplied by Jenni McLaughlin – North Beach Masters Pairs Tournament Director
