July 2011 - Kangaroo Valley Bowling Club
On Saturday June 18, the stage was set for a thrilling finals event, where the best two bowlers in the club came head to head.
The two, Adam Rigney and Nathaniel Cuzner, met the same time last year and Adam claimed the crown.
This crown was now up for the taking.
The first to reach 31 points would be declared the winner -no matter how many ends are played.
Both players are very passionate about their bowls and so the nerves took some time to settle.
This created opportunities for both to snatch the occasional three and four pointers in between the usually tight one-point ends.
The game was drawn on 17 points with still no favourite in sight.
The game then slowly swayed in Nathaniel’s favour and he began to pull away.
Adams’ shots were only missing by a whisker. Nerves jumped in once again as Nathaniel tried to close out the game.
Adam found a new lease of life but just not enough and Nathaniel ended up winning 31 to 20, becoming the new singles king of Kangaroo Valley.
Nathaniel and Adam met again the next day – this time in the final of the pairs (21 ends). Nathaniel partnered Ken Chittick and Darryl Goodger was Adams’ lead.
Both teams had played exceptionally well in eliminating competitors in the previous rounds. Most notably, the week before, Nathaniel and Ken defeated Phil Chittick and Geoff Lidbetter. It was a great game, tight as they come.
On the last end Phil had the three points, which would have won the game, but Nathaniel on the very last bowl of the day beautifully swerved in to take the jack and claim the one point and the over-all win.
The Pairs final was an exhibition of brilliant bowling by all players with nothing between them being 18 points all on the 18th end. Nathaniel and Darryl snatched another two points to lead into the last end.
As usual the head was tight and the final deciding bowl of Adam’s strayed only millimetres away from victory, giving the 2011 pairs title to Nathaniel and Ken.
Phil Chittick, Adam Rigney and Nathaniel Cuzner played in the District Triples at Culburra recently.
They blitzed all opposition in the first two rounds and made the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately the windy conditions must have taken their toll and the dream run came to an abrupt end.
Phil Chittick and Nathaniel once again will represent Kangaroo Valley and the district following their success in the Presidents’ pairs. They journey down the coast to mix it with the best of the best, with every chance of victory if they continue their great form.
The Bias One