What a momentous occasion for the Clovelly Bowling Club to win the Grade 6 Zone Pennants final at Taren Point. Not only was it the first time Clovelly had won a Flag for almost 10 years, but the first time ever a Clovelly mixed gender side had taken the title.
It was a well-deserved victory for a team that has worked so hard, following six trial matches, 10 pennant rounds, and three finals matches. It was a very long season, but we took on all comers and won!
After a one-point win over Taren Point, the team then beat Bronte on the Sunday morning under dark and gloomy skies. The Bronte team was fired up after both their Grade 4 and Grade 7 sides were eliminated, but Clovelly also had a point to prove after their Grade 7 side missed the playoffs.
On his rink, skipper Bruce Hughes had a new lead in Sharon Scarcella, who proved a classy sub for Dianne Lovegrove who was away. Bruce as usual was sensational and was called on often to take shots from the feisty Bronte skip, and prevailed 17-14.
Mick Byrne battled hard in his match, and it wasn’t until the last end when he bowled down two beauties to give his side an 18-16 victory and give Cloey a five-shot buffer.
Tony Mitchell’s rink was in trouble, six down on the scoreboard and down in the head. Peter Osborne bowled two close bowls, crucially he had one wing bowl about a foot from the jack.
Another worthy sub was Susie Mitchell who took over from an injured Jill Cash but unfortunately couldn’t improve on the side’s position. It was then up to Roz Madgwick who came in with a bomb to split the two Bronte bowls and take the shot. Tony was then able to get a gentle slide off Pete’s wing bowl and draw for two.
That was potentially game over, however Bronte had the final bowl. Their skip drives, he misses, it’s over—Cloey wins 55-54. A truly classic finish between these two Eastern Suburbs rivals.
So to the final against Gymea. The rain stayed away until the 17th end, but it was bitterly cold and windy. It was an unusual start to the game, with Cloey jumping out to a huge lead. Tony was up 9-1, Mick up 15-0 and Bruce was neck and neck. Although Gymea fought back, Cloey held on to that strong buffer and ran away with the game 74-51.
It was a raucous clubhouse at TP, with all the teams getting a rousing welcome, but especially Cloey when all 14 of us went up to receive our flag and medals. A great moment for our little club and thanks again to all the players in both grades, the reserves, the supporters and support staff.
– Tony Mitchell (for the selectors)
