The 2016 Yamba Mixed Pairs Championship was decided on Saturday with the formidable combination of Marjorie Thompson and Peter Forrester proving too good for Denise Burey and Graham Meany. The two best teams in the competition ventured to the final; however the consistency and seamless synthesis of the bowling skills of Marjorie and Peter provided the foundation for a convincing, but hard earned victory. After a close start Marjorie and Peter gained control of the match in the middle stages and although Denise and Graham tried valiantly, they were never truly allowed back into the contest. The final score was 26-14. The semi-finals of the Major/Minor Pairs Championship have been decided with Chris Gunning and Brad Johnson securing a place in the final with a tradesman like 24-14 victory over Keith Smith, and last year’s Bowler of the Year, Martyn Wood. Chris and Brad will meet Erik Pedder and Mark Scobie in the final after Erik and Mark were able to overcome the well-fancied pairing of John Luchetti and Tom Morrow. After a well balanced start to their contest with scores level at eight shots each, it was Erik and Mark who made the most of their opportunities and managed to strangle any scoring opportunities that John and Tom managed to establish. The final score of 25-10 indicates that Erik and Mark will be very competitive in the final. Three of the four semi-finalists for the Minor Singles Championship have been identified after four rounds of eliminations. Many of the pre-championship favourites have been upstaged and will have to wait another twelve months before they can attempt to gain revenge. Bruce Blanch has advance to the penultimate round where he will encounter Tom Cross. Graeme Quick will feature in the other semi-final and will confront the winner of the postponed quarter-final between Cliff Hinton and Erik Pedder. The final is scheduled for Sunday 14th August at 1pm. The club’s attention has now focused on next weekend’s New South Wales Grade 3 State Pennant finals to be hosted at both the Maclean Bowling Club and the Yamba Bowling and Recreation Club. The Yamba Grade 3 side has captured the District and Zone titles this year and now sits five wins from achieving what is the ‘Holy Grail’ of lawn bowls, a state title. Yamba will contest their sectional rounds of play at Maclean on Saturday and Sunday. Their task is not an easy one as they will have to overcome the strong Camden club from Zone 5, the incredible depth of Zone 15 champions, Ettalong Memorial, and the powerhouse Zone 10 goliath, Merrylands, if they are to reach the elimination finals. The final will be played at Yamba on Monday 1st August commencing at 9am. The next Travelling Bowler’s activity is a visit by the Queensland Veterans on Saturday 20th August, followed by a reciprocal visit to Yamba by the Park Beach Pirates on Sunday 28th August. Social bowls continues with pairs 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. All nominations are guaranteed a game and visitors are most welcomed. Results from last week are: Wednesday 20th July: Winners: Ron Avnell and Bob Forant. Runners-Up: Bruce Blanch and Greg Johnson. Consolation: Bob Gunning and Steve Grodzki. Friday 22nd July: Winners: Jack Donnelly and Ken Gates. Runners-Up: Glenn Franklin and Col Lindsay. Consolation: Max Snowden and Garry Dennis. Don Freeman