2023/24 champions: Les Mikowiec and Lyn Sibson
A PIECE of Les Mikowiec magic - drawing the shot when six down - proved the key moment of an excellent final in which Lyn Sibson retained the title alongside her new partner.
It came on the 15th end with Pauline Wright and Lindsay Marsh leading 13-11. Les inspected the head and decided on a draw on the wide side - the forehand away from the clubhouse - and was hoping to reduce the damage.
He did much more. Instead of going down 19-11 with five ends to play, Les and Lyn were just a shot behind, 12-13. Almost inevitably, they won all but one of the remaining ends with Pauline and Lindsay needing all six shots on the final end to take the game into extra time.
That, of course, was never going to happen, although Lyn, who had been excellent throughout, chose the last end to bowl poorly to leave Les three down. Lindsay and Pauline took a single to make the final score 20-15 and they played a big part in making it a hard fought battle when many people predicted it would be one-sided.
From 5-9, Lindsay and Pauline won five of the next six ends and would have had one hand on the trophy but for the cool head of mercurial Mikowiec.
LINDSAY MARSH rolled back the years to skip his partner Pauline Wright to the mixed pairs final against the odds as they took the last three ends to pip former chamions Julia and Brian Barron 16-14.
Trailing 10-14, Lindsay and Pauline scored three successive twos with high quality draw bowls, particularly from Lindsay, who once again mastered the wide side.
At the age of 90, Lindsay showed there is still petrol in the tank and the switch to an arm has not diminished his ability to pull games out of the fire.
They will now meet Lyn Sibson and Les Mikowiec in the final as Lyn seeks to win the title in successive years, having won it last year with Bob Barsden.
Lyn was fortunate to find such a quality replacement for the unavailable Bob and the pair dominated the other semi final to win 18-10 with an end to spare.
TOURNAMENT favourites Lyn Sibson and Les Mikowiec were given a fright by the Patersons, Helen and Len, after looking like runaway winners in the opening stages.
Defending champion Lyn and previous champion Les, replacing the recovering Bob Barsden, shot out of the blocks to go ahead 9-0 with just two ends played. By the 12th end, the lead had stretched to 19-7 before the husband and wife team finally got their act together.
Eight shots in three ends suddenly put the outcome in doubt at 19-15 but the fightback ended there as successive counts of two put the game out of reach on 17 ends at 23-15.
Another favoured team, Veronica Thysse and Mitch Brown, were soundly beaten by Julia and Brian Barron. Needing a maximum six on the last end to take the game into over-time, Veronica and Mitch could manage just two, going down 19-15.
In the early stages, Veronica and Mitch were on top, leading 11-7, before the Barrons wrapped up the game with 11 shots in six ends without reply.
Fours finalist Mike Batka and wife Soly had a rare tussle with club president Steve Phillips and Joan Bowey. Neither side attained total superiority but a three-shot cushion on 17 (16-13) was too big a hurdle to overcome with the Batkas getting through to the semi finals 18-13. They will now meet Lyn and Les for a place in the final.
The remaining semi final spot went to Pauline Wright and Lindsay Marsh, who survived a late charge from Gayle Harding and Ivor Thomas to win 18-15 in a game played two days earlier.
Pauline and Lindsay were seemingly home and dry on 16 ends at 17-10 when they were hit with a count five on the penultimate end. It proved in vain as a single to Pauline and Lindsay made sure there was no further drama.
THE rain-delayed first round ended with defending champion Lyn Sibson comfortably getting through to the next round with new partner, Les Mikowiec.
Les, who missed the pennant game with Yanchep a day earlier with a back complaint, made a surprise appearance and together with Lyn romped to a 25-6 win after just 16 ends over Edwina Foster and Brian Binney.
Last season's partner Bob Barsden is still on the recovery trail and Les is, of course, a superb replacement, having won the mixed pairs several times with Maila Piirto. Had Les not been fit to play, Steve Appleton was standing by to fill in.
Leading 9-2 from last week's washed out opening round, Lyn and Les conceded just four singles before it was mathematically possible for Edwina and Brian to win.
Previous champions had a mixed day. Julia and Brian Barron beat the Edgars, Maggie and Ian, 21-11, continuing where they left off to go from 7-3 to 20-5 with Julia the key player in the win. Ann Walsh and Barry Whinfield and Lyn Ker and Alan Arter did not fare so well.
Ann and Barry led 6-4 on six over Helen and Len Paterson but were then hit with 18 shots in eight ends as the Patersons won 23-8 with two ends to spare.
Lyn and Alan took Pauline Wright and Lindsay Marsh all the way before going down 16-10, although they never seriously troubled the winners, who led 8-1 on eight ends.
Last season's beaten finalist, Mitch Brown, with new partner Veronica Thysse, bounced back from 1-7 on seven against May O'Neill and Graeme Winter to 18-11, while Soly and Mike Batka showed they are a force to be reckoned with, beating Ellaine Jopling and Steve Szonyi, beaten finalists two seasons ago, 22-12.
Ivor Thomas, benefitting from the previous week's wash-out, was able to re-enter the competition with Gayle Harding taking over from Tina Hay. They were much too good for Carol Clark and Eddie Eaton (21-9) and Joan Bowey and Steve Phillips eased to a 16-10 success over Roberta Waldeck and Danny Macfarlane.