On this occasion the controversial seeding system utilised in the previous major tournament was abandoned in favour of the traditional out of the hat draw.
In order to reduce the field to a more suitable size of 16 for competition an early elimination round was necessary, with the three early casulaties entered into the ‘plate’ tournament, one of whom was Nidnoi Waranka, last year’s winner in the first all female final.
Indeed, with only three ladies in this year’s competition the likelihood of a fairer sex winner again was slim. However, it was still a possibility as relative newcomer Sireeton “Wan” Sirimuangsan faced off against Ray Austin in the first semi-final, with veteran Derek “Dr Rock” Chalmers up against in form current club champion Ron Blackwood, who had escaped an early exit in the first round with a narrow win in a scrappy affair against Glenn Collins.
Both semi-finals were one sided affairs as Wan comfortably dispatched Ray with Ron rediscovering his form in an easy win over Dr Rock.
After 4 ends the final was all square at 3-3 with some high quality bowls being delivered. Of note was that Wan had won 3 of the 4 ends but Ron’s score of 3 in end 3 meant all was still to play for as he used his experience to restrict her scoring to only 1 point each end when she was holding shot.
More high scoring ends from Ron meant he raced away to an unassailable 13-3 lead before finally winning 13-4.
The victory meant Ron added the Kamala Open title to the club championship he won last month and positioned him as favourite to secure the Phuket Open due to be held in the New Year.
“The Special Ron”, as he is affectionately known, confirmed he is due to relocate to Northern Thailand shortly after the next tournament although people breathing a sigh of relief thinking they had seen the back of him dominating competition were soon disappointed when he stated in true “Arnie” style that “I will be back” for future majors!
In the plate final recently returned Peter “The Kaiser” Kuschel defeated Aon Sunnee with the final bowl of the 80 delivered in their pulsating match.
Whereas the ladies were unable to replicate their success of last year in both the main final and the plate final, they did prove once again their ability and durability on the green.
Kamala Lawn Bowls Club is open six days a week with all equipment provided and only casual attire required. Private parties can also be catered for. For more information contact the club on 0952761587.
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