 Singles Champion for 2019: Shizuko Hashimoto The final of the women’s club singles between Vicki Bartrop and Shizuko Hashimoto was played on a beautiful
sunny May Tuesday. Shizuko got off to a good start by winning the first 3 ends. Vicki won the next end with a great on-shot but it was to be short lived and Shizuko won the next 3 ends with great bowls to lead 9-1. Vicki then picked up a 4 and from then on both players kept their draw games going in an exciting match to watch Shizuko led 13-8. Vicki regularly had shot, both bowlers played beautiful draw bowls but Shizuko steadily opened up her lead winning the next 6 ends with mostly singles to lead 20-8. Vicki came up with some terrific final bowls to keep the game alive before Shizuko won the last 4 ends to claim victory 25-10.
0 Comments
It's all over for 2019! The final flag winners were determined yesterday at Harbord BC.
In Grade 4 Asquith won their second flag beating Mosman 64-55. These two sides were clearly the cream of Grade 4 losing just three matches between them during sectional play. In Grade 7 the Harbord side completed an undefeated season as they triumphed in the Final over Belrose 69-42. In Grade 5 Mona Vale completed their expected victory with a win over West Pymble 73-51. This was the second flag win for Mona Vale building on their win in Grade 2 on Saturday. In Grade 6 the showdown between the Belrose and Harbord sides turned out to be a surprisingly one-sided contest with the Bulls winning 76-48. Harbord BC is the annual host for the Zone 9 Pennants Finals weekend. On Day 1 two flags were awarded and there was plenty of action across the grades.
In Grade 2 Mona Vale and Dee Why had been neck-and-neck all season, both clubs finishing with 8-2 records. In the Final it was Mona Vale who showed their best and won handsomely 63-45. In Grade 3 Manly faced Asquith in the Final. Manly had topped the section with an 8-2 record while Asquith were runners-up at 7-3. Interesting to note though that both of Manly's losses were against Asquith! So the Final wasn't a huge shock as Asquith won rather comfortably 64-51. Grades 5 and 6 have a new Finals format with a 4-team round-robin involving the three section winners and a best runner-up qualifier. With two games completed on Saturday the standings are as follows:-
On Sunday the round-robins will complete. Mona Vale are favourites in Grade 5 with their final match against the winless West Pymble. Grade 6 is less predictable as the big two (Harbord & Belrose) face-off while Balgowlah might sneak in if they can sweep Lane Cove. Sunday also sees the Finals in Grades 4 and 7. In Grade 4 Mosman play Asquith while in Grade 7 Harbord face Belrose. Cards will be called at 12 noon for all games on Wednesday's & Saturday's with immediate effect until Daylight Savings Time returns in October.
 Please note the amended schedule for the competition which is different than you will find in the Handbook. There is some flexibility for scheduling of Rounds 2 and 4 subject to agreement with your opponent and marker. The markers for Round 1A have been nominated and can be seen on the draw sheet.
All matches will begin at 12:30pm. Club uniform must be worn. Yesterday saw the final round of Pennants play for 2019 as our sides made the chase for the finish line. The only side with any chance of post-sectional play were the Grade 6 (1) side and they did their part with a strong win at Warrawee 75-48 (9 pts to 1). They needed help from other results and unfortunately there was none to be found as Balgowlah squeaked in at Asquith; winning by just one shot to claim the best runner-up spot. The Grade 3 side finished the season with a strong win at Avalon 69-49 (9 pts to 1). However our other two teams both suffered heavy losses at home- Grade 4 lost to Chatswood 35-74 (0 pts to 10) and Grade 6 (2) lost to the unbeaten Harbord side 50-75 (1 pt to 9). Congratulations to all the players who have participated in the Pennants competition representing our club this season. A summary of the results from our sides is presented below:-
 The winning Zone 9 side with Wilson Cheng (modestly hiding in the middle of the back row!) Our current Club Champion, Wilson Cheng, has played his part in a memorable win for Zone 9 in the Inter-Zone State Championship played over three days at Charlestown BC. Wilson played lead as part of a rink that went unbeaten through six matches alongside Ral Lewis (2nd), Tony Taylor (3rd), Crawford Linton (skip) and Michael Sparozvich (sub). Overall the Zone 9 side racked up wins in their qualifying section over Far North Coast 80-46 and Manning 73-56. With a couple of subs given a run Zone 9 slipped narrowly in their final match 46-49 against Southern Sydney. They were back at full strength for the Quarter Final beating Sydney West 63-48. Then the Semi-Final against Illawarra- which proved to be an emphatic 74-49 victory. The Final against hosts Newcastle was a very tight affair but Zone 9 triumphed 53-51 with a winning shot with skip Steve Clark's last bowl.  The Zone 9 team standing proudly with the trophy (Wilson again hiding at the back!) We saw two exciting matches in the Major Singles semi finals today. Both matches were close at times with Vicki Bartrop and Shizuko Hashimoto winning through to the finals. Congratulations to the four players for quality bowls today.  Please advise the selectors asap if there any issues with availability.
Action in the penultimate week of the Zone 9 Pennants competition for this year brought mixed results for St Ives' teams.
The Grade 3 side were beaten at home by the flag-chasing Manly side 51-66 (1 pt to 9). St Ives are 5th on the ladder with 4 wins & 5 losses. There are three teams in finals contention- Manly (62.5), Asquith (56) and Dee Why (54.5). The outcome is far from certain with Manly facing Dee Why next week while Asquith have a tricky away fixture at Harbord. The Grade 4 side also went down at Forestville RSL 52-76 (1 pt to 9). They are now 5th on the ladder with 4 wins & 5 losses. Better news in Grade 6 where the #1 side defeated Asquith at home 65-51 (9 pts to 1). That moves the 1s to 3rd on the ladder with 5 wins & 4 losses. There is still a slight chance of a best runner-up spot if they can take maximum points from the final match away to Warrawee. The #2 side suffered a humbling loss at Dee Why 63-77 (1 pt to 9); they are still 3rd on the ladder but now have a record of 4 wins & 5 losses. The big picture in Grade 6 shows Belrose & Harbord through to the finals. Lane Cove and Balgowlah are favourites for the other two spots. Still in contention are Warringah & St Ives (1). |