2023/24 champions: Ivor Thomas, Merv Davies, Steve Szonyi
WHAT was expected to be an intense final turned into another virtual procession for skip Ivor Thomas and his excellent team of Merv Davies and Steve Szonyi.
The game was out of reach with an end to spare and not even the occasional brilliance of Les Mikowiec could stem the tide. Les, Chris Beaney and Ian Edgar shook hands with the score at 20-12.
Les, who turned Sunday's mixed pairs final in his and Lyn Sibson's favour with a shot bowl while staring at potentially six dropped shots,, was under pressure for the vast majority of the game as Merv and Steve played exceptionally well to leave Ivor with little more than a spectator's role.
Merv is a revelation with an arm and he and Ivor have now won the triples four times and Steve two.
THE names of the players who will battle it out for the title were known long before the end of these one-sided semi finals - both finishing with two ends still to play.
Three times winner Ivor Thomas, twice with Merv Davies, will skip against Les Mikowiec, whose only triples triumph was in 2013 with Lionel Peacock and Clive de Ridder.
Ivor, Merv, and Steve Szonyi saw off Joe McKenna, John Avery and Neville Palmer 22-10, while Les, Chris Beaney and player-of-the-match Ian Edgar accounted for Charlie Dodson, Steve Appleton and Brian Barron 19-5.
Chris, in his first season at Merriwa, and Ian already have the Fours under their belts and Les won the 100 Up this season but they will have their work cut out against Ivor and Merv, both going for a fourth success in this competition. Merv last won in this competition two years ago with the third member of the group, Steve Szonyi.
The likelihood is that the final, unlike the semis, will go the distance.
DEFENDING champions Graeme Winter, Lindsay Marsh and Alan Arter were totally outplayed by a Les Mikowiec team that allowed them just four singles in the opening 15 ends.
Les, the hugely impressive Chris Beaney and Ian Edgar were leading 17-4 at the time and when the champions got two shots on the next end they could still mathematically win... if they could somehow conjure up 12 shots in the final two ends. Reluctantly they agreed to see out the game to its inevitable conclusion.
Since moving from Joondalup Chris has been the model of consistency mking it hard to believe he played only fourth and fifth division bowls at his old club. Along with Ian, he already has a fours title to his credit, while Les took the 100 Up and is still in the mixed pairs.
They are now up against Charlie Dodson, Steve Appleton and Brian Barron, who led for all 18 ends but came close to ending up losers against Bill Nicoll, Eddie Eaton and Mike Batka.
Mike was a forlorn figure after the demolition of his rink in the fours final but twice he showed his class when drawing shot from virtually impossible positions when down by large numbers. From 0-8 on five, they clawed back to 13-14 on 16 thanks mainly to some superb draw bowling from Eddie to combat an outstanding performance from Charlie.
A timely four gave Brian's men breathing space to go on to win 18-16.
The match of the round saw irrepressible skip Ivor Thomas win the bragging rights at Cambrai - a victory that he is certain to let his fellow bowlers know about when they get together on Friday for their social game.
Two of the six live outside the RAAFA village - Merv Davies and Bill Kell. Merv joined Ivor and Steve Szonyi and Bill skipped Colin Tremlett and Mitch Brown.
The outcome was a nail-biting 22-20 win in a game full of drama in which Ivor's men never trailed. They led 15-9 on 11 but that was wiped out in two ends. As the game built up to a tense conclusion, Ivor's booming voice could probably be heard at Cambrai.
There will be even high stakes in the next round as they will meet a triple made up entirely of Cambrai men - Joe McKenna, John Avery and Neville Palmer.
The decibel level was considerably less as the Cambrai boys beat Peter Cutten, Clive de Ridder and Len Paterson after a stunning fightback from falling behind 1-9 on six. There was only side in it after that although a four on 13 gave Len's men a 13-12 lead. It was their only response as the Cambrai boys triumphed 22-13.