Possibly the biggest spectacle in lawn bowling on the Far South Coast wrapped up on the weekend when the finals of the Drakes Pride Super Sixes were played.
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The finals ran at Tura Beach where it was an all-Merimbula finish in the men’s competition, while the Dolphins ladies pipped the Tura Twisters in the women’s contest.
The Twisters had won the event twice previously and were looking for a hat-trick, but came unstuck in the late stages of the match for the Merimbula team to secure a narrow victory.
The Merimbula team included Gwen Schell, who was a part of the country team and regarded as one of the best bowlers in Australia.
Organiser Michael Wilks commended the level of competition, but also camaraderie and sportsmanship shown during the tournament.
The Merimbula Drakes defeated the Super Sevens with experienced bowlers shining through in the final few ends.
“Kevin Morse Greg Halloran and Barry Plummer showed their experience in the finals stages,” Wilks said.
“They were also well supported by Ty Simpson and Warren Harding to win the final by a small margin.”
Teams of six take part in games of singles, pairs and triples as opposed to the regular competition fours format.
Wilks said the competition was fiercely contested and provided an excellent opportunity for bowlers and spectators alike to enjoy some of the strongest matches in the region.
“It creates a lot of interest where it's a bit more fast-paced and the short format has been well received and popular,” Wilks said.
An entire round takes about two hours and has proved more conducive to hosting night matches as play doesn’t run as late.
“It's changed the whole outlook of bowls around here - it's been embraced and the level of support has probably made it a pretty big spectacle,” Wilks said.
Twelve teams took part in the men’s competition from Bombala to Bega and everywhere in between, while the women’s event also saw Eden take part.
Wilks congratulated the winning teams and said he was already looking forward to next year’s event.
“The whole thing ran like clockwork and it there was an impressive number of new members taking part,” he said.
“It is good for the development of the sport moving forward.”
Next year the opening rounds are likely to be held in Merimbula again and will possibly use the club’s proposed new indoor area.
“It is likely to be the first major event held in the new facility,” Wilks said.
The finals will be hosted by Bombala.