The semi-finalists in the Major Pairs Championship have been determined following the completion of the last two quarter-finals. In ideal conditions both matches were very closely fought battles. In fact, the game between Allan Etheredge and Peter Bird and Peter Macdonald and Ray Downey needed an extra end to determine a winner.
Etheredge and Bird had a great start and led by 9 – 2 after 6 ends. Macdonald and Downey then won the next 6 ends to move to a 12 – 9 advantage. The next section of the game was very tight but by the 19th end Etheredge and Bird had managed to hit the front 18 – 15. Macdonald and Downey were able to make it 18 all after the regulation 21 ends. The extra end was very close with first one team, then the other holding the advantage. With his last bowl Downey, unfortunately for him, bumped Etheredge’s bowl to give Etheredge and Bird the shot by a very narrow margin. The final score was 19 – 18 and Etheredge and Bird will now play Peter Davies and Joel Hilliard for a place in the final.
The other game between Jim Macklan and Stan Peck and Lawrie Riley and Doug Williams was also very close. For the first 11 ends the two teams traded shots in a low scoring affair. At this stage the score was 7 all. Macklan and Peck then doubled their score in two ends to grab the advantage at 14 – 7. Riley and Williams fought back and by the 17th end they had narrowed the lead to just four shots at 16 – 12. Though they were winning the ends, Riley and Williams could not grab the big score they needed to bridge the gap.
On the 18th end Macklan and Peck consolidated their position when they picked up 4 shots to double their margin. Though Riley and Williams won the last three ends they only managed to pick up single shots as Macklan and Peck defended well. Macklan and Peck won 20 – 15 and will play Noel Downie and John Monks in the second semi-final.
The Annual May Carnival will start on Sunday May 5 with five days of bowls. A different event is held each day. A big thanks to the local businesses, especially Allen May Motors, Luxaflex, Hallmark Real Estate and the Tuross Pharmacy, for their very generous support.
