Local pennants teams fall short in their North West finals games

Wee Waa Bowling Club’s men’s team and a composite Narrabri/Wee Waa/Lightning Ridge ladies’ team fell just short of winning their way through to NSW Bowls’ pennants state finals following losses in the North West playoffs across the weekend.

The Wee Waa men and their fellow division three section winners Guyra and Kootingal met at South Tamworth Bowling Club over the weekend for a three-team series, at the end of which the top-ranked team would progress to the state finals.

Wee Waa had the bye on Saturday morning and it was Kootingal who started on the front foot as they outscored Guyra 74 shots to 43 overall and won all three rinks to claim all of the 10 competition points on offer.

That results meant Wee Waa would meet Guyra on Saturday afternoon, and those two clubs contested a nail-biter that went down to the last end.

Despite Wee Waa winning two of the three rinks, they went down 64 shots to 62 on the overall scoreboard.

Kevin Baker, Chris Crutcher, Paul Andreassen and Steve Berger won their rink 24 shots to 18 against Guyra’s Robert Moore, Paul Johnson, Chris Kliendienst and David Wilcox, while Brett Pillar, Hunter Doring, Jay Hall and Ty Baker prevailed 25 shots to 20 on their rink against Ian Jacobs, Randy Mulligan, Herbert Jackson and John McIlwain.

However, Guyra’s Anthony Bull, Robert Walls, Phillip Kliendienst and Colin Stanley got up 26 shots to 13 on their rink against Kyne Allen, Phil Lawford, Peter Doring and Trinity Kelly to clinch the overall win for their club.

Despite that result, the Wee Waa men remained a chance of topping the table as Guyra dropped out of first-place contention.

Wee Waa challenged Kootingal on Sunday morning and were well aware that a loss or a one-rink win would not have been enough, a two-rink win would give them a chance as the two sides would have finished level, and a three-rink win would have seen them top the table.

However, Kootingal were too good as they outscored Wee Waa 71 shots to 52 to finish first on the ladder and secure their spot in the state finals.

Wee Waa’s Allen, Lawford, Doring and Kelly bounced back from their loss on Saturday afternoon to beat Kootingal’s Caleb Nelson, Daniel Flemming, Benjamin Ballantine and Aron Johnson 19 shots to 17, while another rink saw Pillar, Doring, Hall and Ty Baker finished locked at 20-all with Sebastian Lees, Nicol Sampson, Anthony Berry and Allan Hemmings.

The result of the other rink got the Kootingal side over the line as Col Douglas, Chris Passlow, Scott Nelson and Craig John O’Toole took down Kevin Baker, Crutcher, Andreassen and Berger 34 shots to 13.

On Saturday, the Narrabri/Wee Waa/Lightning Ridge composite ladies’ team met fellow division four sectional winners North Tamworth/West Tamworth at Bingara Sporting Club.

Both of those teams won a rink each but the Tamworth ladies prevailed 41 shots to 35 overall to progress to the next level.

The Narrabri/Wee Waa/Lightning Ridge team of Rebecca Taylor, Debbie Ravot, Dot Dewson and Kay Dewson downed North Tamworth/West Tamworth’s Beverley Cork, Anne Collins, Anne Guy and Rhonda Burrell 24 shots to 16 on their rink.

On the other rink, the Narrabri/Wee Waa/Lightning Ridge team of Heidi Monch, Bree Pillar, Melissa Allen and Lisa Pillar went down 25 shots to 11 to North Tamworth/West Tamworth’s Theresa Ellicott, Margaret King, Mairi Peak and Carol McCaskill.