Sports
Yamba Triples proved a ‘classic’ battle
The 2018 Club Major Triples Championship concluded on Saturday with the semi-finals and final played in basking sunshine.
Both semi-finals promised to be interesting affairs with defending champions, Allan Parker, Graham Meany and Peter Forrester up against the talented trio of Greg Johnson, Tom Cross and Martyn Wood, while Alan Abbott and his crew of Ray Schafer and Wayne Curtis had to tackle the championship surprise packets of Jamie Gordon, Norm Anderson and Bill Andrews. An injury to Martyn Wood meant a change in their team’s bowling order with Greg Johnson taking the role of skip and many thought that this may provide Peter Forrester and his team an advantage. However, this was not to be and Greg Played magnificently producing the big shots when he had to and guiding his team to a resounding 28 – 17 win. Jamie Gordon, Norm Anderson and Bill Andrews found semi-final lawn bowls a much more difficult proposition and the consistency of Ray Schafer, Wayne Curtis and Alan Abbott troublesome to master. Alan and his team took the game by 28 – 13.
The final was another classic with both sides, and all bowlers, entertaining the growing number of spectators with a full range of shots on display. Scores fluctuated all day with first one side and then the other making small but significant gains. At the commencement of the final end Greg and his team trailed by two shots and needed to find something special to win or force an extra end and it appeared that this may just happen when they held possibly three shots with one bowl to be played. Alan Abbott stood on the mat with one bowl left deciding whether to deploy his favoured drive shot or deliver a delicate draw to take the win. Ultimately Alan went with the draw and as the throng of spectators held their collective breathes, the bowl arrived gently into the head to nestle adjacent to the jack taking the end and the title. Alan along with Ray Schafer and Wayne Curtis took the game by 29 – 26.
Don Freeman