It was a cool night in the hills, but the competition was red hot at Upwey Tecoma Bowls Club tonight as Mike W and Cam D stepped onto the green to contest the 23/24 Minor Singles Championship.
Both bowlers have been in great form this season, and there was a sense of expectation among the supporters who gathered at the club that this was going to be a close one. They were not let down. The bar was open, music was playing, sausages on the BBQ, and a few Friday night barefoot bowlers had turned up, which all added to the occasion.
The game got underway in bright sunshine in the early evening on the Griffiths Green with Glenn Slater as the marker.
Both Cam and Mike settled into the match straight away, playing great bowls and building some tight heads with just millimetres separating the shot making bowls. After 5 ends, Cam had the slight ascendency with the score at 5 to 3. In the space of just two ends, Mike had turned the tables and jumped out to a 3 shot lead, but by the 10th end, Cam had pegged that lead back to just a solitary shot.
The supporters were being treated to some great shot making by both players as the level of competition was heating up with both players trading blow for blow and shot for shot. At the conclusion of the 15th end, Cam held the upper hand at 13 shots to 10.
Mike then won the mat and decided it was time for a change of tactics and brought the mat up to minimum length, rolling the jack to the tee. The change paid dividends, and at the conclusion of the 21st end, scores were again tied at 16 shots a piece. The supporters sensed this one would go down to the wire and settled in to see how the match would unfold. At the conclusion of the 26th end, Cam had pushed out to a 4 shot lead – 22 to 18 – and was within reach of the 25 shots required to take the title. But as the refreshments flowed from the Tiger Bar and the snags with bread were being consumed, Mike mounted a spirited comeback to be just one shot down at the conclusion of the 30th end. With Cam on 24 and Mike 23, both players were now well within reach of the 25 shots required to take out the match. On the penultimate 31st end, scores were tied at 24 a piece, and we were headed into the deciding chapter of an absorbing match.
The final end of this match was amazing. With just one bowl to come, Mike was holding very solid two shots and the match. With limited options for his final bowl, Cam decided to play with positive weight into the head making enough contact with the two shot bowls to move them slightly and see his bowl come to rest as the shot. What a finish to an outstanding match. Final score, Cam 25 to Mike 24.
Congratulations to both players for putting on such a high class exhibition of competitive bowls and, most importantly, playing the game in great spirit and as team mates. This is what makes Upwey Tecoma a great club and one we can all be proud of.
