North West Bowls’ 2025/26 season senior state championships pairs action was hampered by wet weather across the weekend, but four local teams managed to get on the greens at Moree and Tamworth.
Wee Waa Bowling Club duo Kay Dewson and Dot Dewson were victorious in section two of the senior women’s competition that was held at Moree Services Bowling Club, while Narrabri Bowling Club’s Tony Redman and Graham Rose were the winners of section two of the senior men’s competition, also in Moree.
Those two teams will both travel to Lightning Ridge late next month to compete in the regional finals, at which they will play against the other section winners.
There were only three teams that nominated for the women’s section in Moree on Saturday, which saw Narrabri duo Debbie Gleeson and Cindy Neil progress straight through to the final.
The Dewsons met Inverell Sporties’ Karen Moxey and Amanda Hawke for a chance to play against the Narrabri side in the decider, and the Wee Waa team prevailed 20 shots to nine in that clash to set up an all-Narrabri Shire final. They then cruised past the Narrabri duo 30 shots to three in the decider.
Redman and Rose were also one of three teams in the men’s division, and they too went straight through to the final while the other two sides battled it out in round one. That saw Bingara Sporting Club’s Graham Galvin and Gary O’Neile defeat Moree Services Bowling Club’s Raymond Rutledge and Leslie Tighe 22 shots to 14.
Redman and Rose then outscored the Bingara men 18 shots to 13 in the decider to advance to the regional finals at Lightning Ridge.
Another Wee Waa Bowling Club team was in action across the weekend as Steve Berger and Bruce Cowan travelled over to Tamworth City Bowling Club to play in section three of the senior men’s pairs.
Their round one game on Saturday morning was pushed back to the afternoon while they waited for heavy rain to stop and the puddles on the green to subside, and they were victorious when they finally got on as they took down South Tamworth Bowling Club’s Gordon Cheney and Alan Maguire 17 shots to 13.
There were only five teams that entered to play in that section, so it was decided that the two semi-finals and the final would be played the following day.
The Wee Waa men travelled home and then back to Tamworth the next day to play, and they were down 18 shots to 14 going into the last end against South Tamworth Bowling Club’s Joseph Verdich and Neville Dart when the rain became too heavy and forced the bowlers off the green.
They eventually got back on 20 minutes later, but the Wee Waa duo were only able to score two shots on that final end as they fell two short of pushing the match into an extra end.
Dart and Verdich did not play the final against their North Tamworth Bowling Club opponents Grahame Hall and Graemne Cameron that afternoon due to the rain. It has been postponed and will likely be played this weekend.
More state pairs action will be contested this weekend, with some of the abandoned senior sectional matches to go ahead, and the men’s pairs, women’s pairs and open reserve pairs to also be held.
Wee Waa Bowling Club’s Melissa and Brock Allen will travel to Moree Services Bowling Club to play in the open reserve pairs, clubmates Ty and Kevin Baker will travel to Lightning Ridge District Bowling Club to take part in the men’s pairs, and Narrabri Bowling Club’s Eva Sadler and Lisa Pillar will also travel to Lightning Ridge to line up in the ladies’ pairs.
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