Aaron Ritchie and Darren Stanley have held their nerve to take out the Summit
Men’s Club Pairs titles in a tense final on the main green on Sunday.
The pair triumphed 19-17 over Paul Zamprogno and Frank Taylor in perfect conditions after a big weekend bowls at the Summit Club which started with the women’s competition on Saturday according to club spokesman John Shannon.
He said in Saturday’s Ladies Pairs Final Maree Ball and Jacqui Ritchie played faultless bowls in the opening stages of the game before their opponents Pam Moore and Tina Schubert
powered their way into the game.
The pair ran away to win the Ladies Pairs championship in a very comprehensive manner. The final score saw Moore and Schubert dominate to win 26 – shots to 9.
While the ladies final was playing out, on adjacent rinks the men were playing the opening rounds of their club pairs.
The winning teams in the opening round, Alex Mattiazzi and Tony Schubert; Aaron Ritchie and Darren Stanley ; Paul Zamprogno and Frank Taylor and Ray Spiller and Michael Sweeney went through to the semi-finals later in the afternoon.
Mattiazzi and Schubert took on Zamprogno and Taylor in the first semi-final and held a six-shot lead after just six ends.
Zamprogno and Taylor found their touch and played their way back into the game with a display of consistent bowling. They went onto win the match 20-16 and booked their place in Sunday’s final.
On the other side of the draw Spiller and Sweeney had their hands full against Ritchie and Stanley who dominated from the opening end. The pair never let Spiller and Sweeney into the game from the opening end and went on with the job to score a convincing 22 – 9 win.
Conditions were perfect for Sunday’s final between Paul Zamprogno and Frank Taylor and Aaron Ritchie and Darren Stanley according to Shannon.
“I expect this to be a very tight game,” he said before the final.
“All four bowlers are playing well, and we could be in for a close finish.”
After five ends he was proven to be on the money. The scores were locked at five-all.
Heading into the 10th end Ritchie and Stanley held a two shot lead with the score 9-7.
On the the back of some excellent draw shots Zamprogno and Frank Taylor gained some momentum and held a five-shot lead at 14-9 after 11 ends.
In a see-sawing contest their opponents levelled the score and after19 tense ends the game was level at 17-all.
Ritchie and Stanley held their nerve in the closing stages of the game scoring two single shots on each of the final two ends to wrap up a narrow 19-17 win in what was hailed a thrilling game by spectators.
Shannon paid tribute to club members, Frank and Cliff who prepared the greens which were “in immaculate condition on both days”.
