Thankfully some easier playing conditions on Sunday at Belrose BC for the Senior Zone Triples. Three SIBC teams were in action.

Rod Silber's team fell 25-18 to J. Courtney from Dee Why whilst George Rosettenstein's side lost to G. Tetstall from Harbord 34-19. Wilson Cheng's triple (who had a bye in Round 1) had a good Round 2 win, 32-14, against A. Marsden from Avalon  Beach. However, Wilson & co fell at the Round 3 hurdle, losing 30-8 to P. Leckey from Harbord.
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Saturday saw a blisteringly hot day for the scheduled opening rounds of the Zone Triples competition. Matches in Round 1 were completed at all four venues in use but play at Belrose, Asquith & St Ives was suspended in the afternoon in the interest of health & safety of the players. A cooling breeze at Harbord allowed all scheduled games to be completed there.

In the State Triples at Harbord, Geoff Rose's rink went down 26-15 to M. Davern (Asquith).

In the Reserve Triples (played at Asquith & St Ives) SIBC had just the one entry, skipped by Wes Taylor. Playing at Asquith they lost to R. Abdallah's triple, playing on their own green, 33-13.

We had better fortunes in the Senior Triples played at Belrose. Rod Silber came through against D. Rust (Harbord) 24-21 whilst George Rosettenstein fought off R. Wise's Belrose triple 26-22.

Play will continue today (Sunday) subject to weather conditions.

Our B Grade side played its final match of the Zone 9 Mid-Week Challenge for 2019. Our hopes for perhaps a runners-up finish were dealt a heavy blow by yesterday's opponents Avalon Beach. The match was played on our own green but the visitor's established handy leads on two rinks whilst the third (skipped by Bruce Mason) were neck-and-neck all the way. The end result was disappointment on all three rinks  with the "big board" showing a loss, 72-86 (0 pts to 6).

St Ives finished sixth out of seven teams on the final ladder with a 2 win, 3 loss, 1 draw record. Avalon Beach's win took them into the runners-up spot (squeaking past Mosman on shot difference) and they will playoff against Dee Why in the B Grade Final at Harbord BC next week.

The St Ives trio of Chris Bergman, Fred Alexander & Wilson Cheng were in action in the State Senior Triples event over the weekend, played at Ettalong Memorial BC.

Two matches were played on Friday with the team narrowly losing their opening sectional match 23-26 to Westport before bouncing back with a thumping 34-10 victory over Gulong. On Saturday, Wilson & co. performed creditably in a 18-25 loss to Tuncurry Beach, skipped by Rex Johnston.

Well the rain had the last laugh in Round 6 of the Zone 9 Mid-Week Challenge with all matches in the area abandoned.

In Grade B there is still one round to play with St Ives at home to Avalon Beach next Wednesday. There is still a possibility for St Ives to finish as runner-up although results will very definitely have to go their way.

Our two Grade C sides have finished their schedule, both missing out on post-sectional play this time around. St Ives (1) finished with a 3-2-1 record, good enough for second place on the ladder behind Lindfield Rollers (1). St Ives (2) accumulated a 2-3-1 record to finish third behind the unbeaten Balgowlah and West Pymble.

The Bowls NSW State Championships begin this Friday at Ettalong Memorial BC. It's tremendous for St Ives to be represented as our Senior Triples Zone Champions- Chris Bergman, Fred Alexander & Wilson Cheng- take the green this weekend. On Friday there will two sectional games and on Saturday the final sectional game plus (with luck) the semi-final. The Final will be played on Sunday.

​Good luck chaps!

Bowls NSW has announced that it will be live streaming the State Championships from September 22nd to 28th. In addition Fox Sports will be presenting a one-hour highlights feature showcasing the singles final. More details on the championships can be found here.

Our B Grade side now have back-to-back wins after a comprehensive 95-68 (5 pts to 1) victory at home against Asquith. The section leaders Dee Why had a bye and Mosman's win at Turramurra keeps them in second place. If St Ives is to have any chance for making the playoffs they must win their final two games against Warrawee and Avalon Beach.

Both C Grade sides were also playing at home but neither was able to take home turf advantage. St Ives (1) were rather surprisingly outplayed by Lane Cove (1) 64-46 (5 1/2 pts to 1/2). It was a much closer affair for St Ives (2) against Lindfield Rollers (2), but the visitors edged the match 56-53 (5 pts to 1). The result was only decided on the 63rd end.

For the C (1) team there are still faint hopes of progressing. Lindfield Rollers (1) take on Dee Why (1) next week whilst St Ives entertain Killara. St Ives need to win big and hope Dee Why do likewise against Lindfield. The loss against Lindfield Rollers (2) by the C (2) side puts them out of contention in their section; the Balgowlah juggernaut will be looking to complete an unbeaten run next week.

Our Grade B side got their first win of the competition on Wednesday with a tough, close victory at Turramurra. The Bs got up 74-70 (4 pts to 2). Dee Why continue to be the benchmark raising their record to 4-0 with a win at Mosman. So it looks like a race for second place and that is wide open with three rounds left.

The Grade C (1) side were at home to Forestville RSL and notched up an encouraging 83-45 win (5 pts to 1). The team were ahead early and kept stretching the margin to the finish line. That win puts St Ives on top of the section with a 3-1 record. The margin is only on shots difference though; Dee Why (1) & Lindfield Rollers (1) are also 3-1.

Grade C (2) were the only losers this week falling to the all-conquering Balgowlah team 49-73 (0 pts to 6). As in B Grade this is now a race for second place and St Ives are still very much in the race at 2-2 alongside West Pymble. Balgowlah are almost out of sight at 4-0.

Our Grade 3 sides are on a roll after notching up two wins away from home yesterday. St Ives (1) won at Killara 67-60 (4 pts to 2) while St Ives (2) beat Lane Cove (2) 62-53 (6 pts to 0). St Ives (1) top their ladder by a point from Dee Why (1) and Lindfield Rollers (1). St Ives (2) are in second place behind the unbeaten Balgowlah.

In Grade B St Ives were beaten at home by Dee Why 80-87 (1 pt to 5). That result brings their record to 0-2 and it is a tough battle now to catch the leaders Dee Why (3-0) and Mosman (2-0).
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