Season opener

Mount Gambier District Indoor Bowls Association starts season with mixed triples championship

The Mount Gambier District Indoor Bowls Association opened its 2023 season on April 13 with a Mixed Triples Championship.

The Miller Timber Joinery/Mt Gambier Isuzu Utes Mixed Triples Championship is the firfst of what will be a long line of association championships over the course of the 2023 season.

President Stephen Von Duve greeted all players and then the official formalities took place with the association’s patron Athol Malseed rolling the first jack and association patroness Shirley Gifford delivering the first bowl to officially open the 2023 season.

The Mixed Triples Championship followed with 23 team entries, with the combined team from the Saints and Post-Tel club of Shirley Gifford, Kevin Burn and Jennifer Bowering defeating Blue Lake Bowlers team of Kevin Jones, Emma Freemantle and Thomas Butler in the first semi final 9 shots to 4.

In the second semi final the Post-Tel team of Paul Wilkinson, Zac Pearson and Fiona Pearson took victory over the other team from Post-Tel of Lorraine VanDen Hoogen, Jim Pearson and Craig Pearson 8 shots to 5.

The final had Pearson’s team scoring four on the first end but by the fifth end the Bowering team were only one shot behind.

The sixth end Pearson scored two shot, to give them a three shot lead going into the last end. Jennifer could only settle for one shot on the last end and fell short of victory to give the Post-Tel team of Paul Wilkinson, Zac Pearson and Fiona Pearson victory and claim the first association championship for the year, the Miller Timber Joinery/Mt Gambier Isuzu Utes Mixed Triples Championship 7 shots to 5.

In the Consolation Final it was the clash of the two Commercial Club teams with the team of Doreen Oakley, John Oakley & Coehen Keppels defeating the hard trying team of Phil Bliss, Graham Dent & Gaylene Leggett to beat them 10 shots to 1.

CLUB PATRONS OFFICIALLY OPEN SEASON: Athol Malseed & Shirley Gifford happy to be together to open the 2023 Indoor Bowls Season

MIXED TRIPLES FINALISTS: Zac Pearson, Shirley Gifford, Paul Wilkinson, Jennifer Bowering, Fiona Pearson, Kevin Burn, Graham Dent, Gaylene Leggett, Coehen Keppels, John Oakley, Doreen Oakley & Phil Bliss