Steve Berger crowned Wee Waa Bowling Club’s 2024 campaign over-60s competition champion

Steve Berger is the Wee Waa Bowling Club’s over-60s singles champion for 2024 following a thrilling victory over Clancy Hamilton on Sunday.

Berger led by just one shot going into the 25th and final end and he secured the victory with a three to prevail 25 shots to 21.

Earlier in the game, it was Hamilton who gained the ascendancy when he registered one shot on the first end before Berger hit back with a one on the second to tie the score up.

It was locked at four shots each after five ends and eight shots each after 10 ends, and then Hamilton claimed five of the next eight ends to go ahead 18 shots to 13 with seven ends left to play.

Berger scored a three on the 19th to reduce his deficit to two, which then became three when Hamilton scored a one on the 20th. However, Berger went on a three-end run that saw him tie the score up at 19 shots each after 22 ends and then go ahead 22 shots to 19 after 23 ends.

Hamilton ensured the game would go right down to the wire as he hit back on the 24th with one shot, but Berger held his nerve on the final end and scored three shots to win the game 25 shots to 21 and be crowned champion.

That decider was the first of six that will be played at the club between last Sunday and Sunday, August 18, with the club announcing this week that A-grade singles, A-grade triples, B-grade singles, B-grade pairs and B-grade triples finals must all be played by that date.

The players who will line up in those five finals are as follows:

A-grade singles – Steve Berger v Ty Baker (marker – Bruce Cowan); A-grade triples – Todd and Bruce Cowan and Ty Baker v Brett Pillar, Chris Crutcher and Steve Berger; B-grade singles – Dustyn Allen v Kyne Allen (marker – Gary Nolan); B-grade pairs – Renee Doring and Hunter Doring v Melissa Allen and Dustyn Allen; B-grade triples – Brock Allen, Kay Dewson and Dot Dewson v Melissa Allen, Kyne Allen and Dustyn Allen.