Bowls, Bowls and more Bowls... January - April 2008

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", so opens the Charles Dickens classic, A Tale of Two Cities. That was my experience in bowls competitions during the first part of this year.

WP Flag

First of the lot was the WP Flag competition (league) for 9 weeks played on a round robin basis. Last year (2007) we (Durbanville Bowling Club) ended as runners-up to Glen CC. We were pipped at the post when we played Glen CC in the last game with my dear friend and mentor, Kevin Campbell, playing scintillating bowls (as captain) to win the deciding game for Glen CC. However, this year, again under my captaincy, we managed to win the Flag - the first time since 2000. It was a truly rewarding experience as we worked hard to win the title.

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WP Fours

My team of Jason Evans, Schalk Kotze, Len Evans (Res) and Etienne Malherbe reached the finals of the WP Fours, only to lose on the last end, despite being 19-7 up after 14 ends. This remains one of my biggest disappointments in bowls but, at least, crucial lessons were learnt by all. We will aspire to do better in the new season.

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SA Masters

This year the SA Masters was held, yet again, at the impressive Wingate Park CC in Pretoria on 15th - 17th February. Neels Kotze, Jason Evans and myself represented WP at this tournament and, unfortunately, were all drawn in the same section. I ended up 3rd in the section and was pleased with my performance. Fellow Protea, Wayne Perry of Southern Free State, won the event.

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SA Interprovincials

This tournament was held in Cape Town from 1st - 5th March. Venues included Atlantic Greenpoint, Goodwood, Glen CC and Durbanville. Despite the greens being of a very good standard, it was another disappointing Interprovincial with loads of learnings. The team consisted of Myself, Jason Evans, John Binns, Etienne Malherbe; Wilhelm Malan, Bennie van Rensburg, Neels Kotze (I made him man of the tournament for WP) and Peter Harvey. We hope to do better in Pretoria next year.

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SA National Championships

The pressure was on the Durbanville Bowling Club Nationals team that took part in the SA Championships in Durban from 5th - 13th April. Last year in Pretoria, Jason Evans, Etienne Malherbe and Schalk Kotze won the SA Trips and I landed the SA Singles title. In doing so, we also won the inaugural National Club Championships.

We were offered very comfortable accommodation by John Peacock (son of Protea bowler, Jo Peacock) at his home in Westville. This certainly added to the enjoyment of our tournament.
This year, we lost in the Singles and Triples events but manged to focus on the SA Fours and won the title, beating Durban Bowling Club in the final. In doing so, we also managed to accumulate enough points to win the National Club Championships for the second year in a row.

SA Fours Champions: Jason Evans, Shaun Addinall, Tory Sabatti and Schalk Kotze

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WP Masters

The WP Masters was held at Atlantic Greenpoint Bowling Club, with Glen CC being the additional venue, on 26th - 28th April. Once again, the WP tournament committee did a sterling job, applauded by all players, spectators and officials. After some gruelling bowls in very windy conditions, I won my section and qualified for the final. Lo and behold, I came up against Kevin Campbell and knew that a hard fought game lay ahead of me. The end result was a 21-10 victory for me, being my 4th WP Masters title - previously won in 1999, 2000, 2002 and then 2008.

L-R: Ian Kilbride (Warwick), Sylvia Burns (Ladies champion), Shaun Addinall (Mens champion)

All the best.

Shaun