A large throng of spectators witnessed a display of some outstanding bowls as the 2016 Yamba Major Pairs Championship got underway on Sunday February 21. Sixteen teams began the championships all with the view of securing this prestigious title and being the Yamba nomination for the Champion of Champions challenge to be contested later in the year. Results Bruce Angel, Steve Kliendienst d Bob McKibbin, Paul Lozelle 28-12; Alan Reed, Erik Pedder d Ron Gildersleeve, Barry De-Bomford 26-7; Glen Franklin, Greg Johnson d David Atkinson, Alan Turnbull 27-19; Bill McDonald, Wayne Curtis d Norm Greenup, Norm Anderson 19-14; Allan Parker, Peter Forrester d Graeme Brown, Brad Johnson 26-10; Trevor Bardsley, Bob Ballantyne d Bruce Blanch, John Luchetti d 23-14; Mark Scobie, Graham Meany d Jamie Gordon, Stuart Bell 28-12; Norm Sinclair, Allan Conlan d Martyn Wood, Alan Abbott 24-16. Spectators for the afternoon’s quarter-finals and were far from disappointed. Bruce Angel and Steve Kliendienst were the first team to advance to the semi-finals with a dominant 27-3 win over Norm Sinclair and Allan Conlan, however all three remaining contests came down to the final end thrilling the crowd. Mark Scobie and Graham Meany squeezed past Trevor Bardsley and Bob Ballantyne with a hard-earned 23-20; Alan Reed and Erik Pedder survived a spirited comeback by Glen Franklin and Greg Johnson to eventual win 20-18; and Allan Parker and Peter Forrester fought back from the brink of defeat against Bill McDonald and Wayne Curtis overcoming an 11 shot deficit on their path to a noteworthy 21-20 win. The championship now hangs in the balance with the semi-finals and final scheduled for Saturday March 5; please check the notice board for details. The nomination sheet for the 2016 Senior Singles Championship, open to all club registered male bowlers over the age of 75 years, is on the notice board. Nominations close on Friday March 11 with the first round to be contested on the evening of Tuesday March 15. The Grade 6 and 7 Pennant sides commenced their 2016 season on Saturday February 20 in encouraging fashion with the Grade 6 (Gold) and Grade 7 bowlers both recording solid wins against Wooli and Brooms Head respectively. The Gold side collect all 10 points on offer with a strong 86-42 victory while the Grade 7 masters recorded a heartening 67-62 result on their way to a nine to one win. Unfortunately, the Grade 6 (Blue) side were outplayed against the grade heavyweights, Maclean, losing 84-50. The second round of the Grade 6 and 7 Pennants is scheduled for Saturday March 5 with a local derby between the Gold and Blue sides in Grade 6 and the Grade 7 amalgamation journeying to Maclean. Pennants for all other grades will commence on Saturday March 12. Bowlers are reminded to check the pennant board for selections. Social bowls continues with pairs played on Wednesday and triples on Friday. All games commence at 1pm and names need to be on the respective nomination sheets by 11.30am on the day of play. Results from last week are: Wednesday 17th February: Winners: Andy Duke-Yonge and Norm Sinclair. Runners-Up: Greg Dickman and Wayne Curtis. Consolation: Keith Smith and Erik Pedder Friday 19th February: Winners: Len Grimes, John Telfer and Roger Pryor. Runners-Up: Ross Hastie, Tony Jackson and Martyn Wood. Consolation: Basil Glover, Ray Brown and Jim Stone Don Freeman