Champions play off in championships

The Golfie hosted two championship bowls games this past week and what champs all the bowlers involved were!

Thursday’s Singles championship game between Kyle Roberts and Scott Mayne started, as always, with Champ of all Champs, Kyle Roberts leading the way.

Roberts was leading 11-3 on the sixth end before Mayne clearly decided he needed to focus and it paid off.

From then on there was barely three points between them and by the 16th end Mayne narrowed the margin to just one.

Neither Roberts nor Mayne were ever going to give up.

Roberts then scored six points and then Mayne won an end by five.

It was a mighty effort indeed which ended with Roberts victorious by +5 which takes him through to the finals.

Sunday’s Singles Championship game between Greg Read and Bian Smith was yet another magnificent championship duel between firm friends and respectful rivals.

Smith lead by five shots then extended it to eight shots before Read rallied bringing the scores even on the 13th end.

The scores were again even on the 16th.

From then on, there was barely two points between them until Smith scored a three shot advantage.

The game was 28 ends in and the scores were locked at 22-22.

It came down to the last end with Smith emerging as the winner by +3.

It was such a nail biter of a championship game and a fine example of what persistence can achieve!

Sunday’s social bowlers (12 in all) played their games in the near arctic temperatures combined with wind gusts aplenty.

The winners for the day were Craig ‘Duck’ Grimmond, Karen Daly and Greg Clark who won their match by +5 over Gerrard Livingston, David Thomas and Tony Polack.

The day’s runners-up were Alan Knight, John ‘Shark’ Daly and Glenn ‘Kiwi’ Ratcliffe who finished with a +4 win over Don Roberts, Doug Hudson and Allan Gardoll.

The scorecard shows that Knight’s team charged ahead until half way when the scores were even.

It was game on from there with Team Roberts taking the lead for four ends but the last end was the decider with Knight’s team claiming bragging rights.

There were two contenders this week for the George The Giraffe Award, Kiwi and Kaz.

Kaz finished as the winner following the sheer devastation she wrought upon Greg Read’s on target bowl in his championship game. Kaz’s wayward bowl is unsurpassed as far as deliveries go.

The collision was unfortunately unavoidable and you could have heard a pin drop as everyone on the green held their breath watching the wayward bowl on its path to destruction.

The Second

Basketball back to full strength

After a month long break due to school holidays, a school camp and a leaking roof, basketball was back to full strength last Wednesday at the Cobar Youth & Community Centre.

There is a group of approximately 15 mini ballers (under 9’s) who learn to play through drills and a game each week.

These players have improved out of sight, working well together all up and down the court.

The Junior Basketball (9-12 years) age group has grown significantly in 2023.

The competition now has six mixed teams and competition is fierce, but the focus is very strongly on good sportsmanship and players who show great character in each game.

In last week’s game, Green was victorious over Blue 38-16 with new-to-town Xavier Walker taking out the Best and Fairest award for Blue, and Braxton Hugget for Green.

Yellow won over Red 58-25, with team spirit awards going to Harpa Martin and Tillie Cain.

Black only just beat Pink 25-20 with Isabelle Gillette and Callum Bennett selected for Best and Fairest honours.

Teens and adults had a much stronger attendance last week with both courts being needed to accommodate everyone.

The games for adults and 13+ years are casual, social, and flexible and everyone is welcome to join. contributed

Hard fought draw

The Cobar Roosters Reserve Grade side came home with a hard fought 16-all draw in their second game of the Castlereagh Rugby League season on Saturday at Baradine.

You wouldn’t read about it but a four hour bus trip had the ability to cut a team in half.

A loss of the toss saw Cobar with the ball in hand from the kick off and again the old war soldier, Paul McCosker, brought the ball back from the back fence like the freight train he is.

Both teams’ obvious poor fitness levels came to show within the first 10 minutes.

Baradine took an early 10-0 lead and the Roosters were thinking it’s going to be another long day. Tom Plater took time off from coaching First Grade to run the Reserve bench and decided it was time to release the little bantam Rooster, Dallas Josephson.

This brought the game alive with Tristan Everett feeding off the back of this and started attacking the line and making metres.

Jacob Clark took a solid tackle and busted his little chicken wing, and so needed a break out on the wing.

Robert Childs was playing his forwards down the centre and then put the kick in to the right wing where Clark flew in and scored a great one arm try, forgetting that he has work on Monday.

Half time was much needed for both these elite teams.

Baradine were quick to mount an attack in the second half taking the score to 16-6.

Childs and Chris Deighton teamed up with a well weighted kick through to the in goal seeing the score go to 16-12.

Coming up to the final seven minutes and 25 metres out Deighton slipped into hooker and took it upon himself to steam roll his way over to level up the game. Unfortunately the conversion was waved away and both teams got to share the biscuit. contributed

Divas out on top

Divas continue their dominance of the Senior Netball competition after they won the match of the round on Sunday when they beat Pumpettes 51-25.

Pink Galahs got the better of Tooth Fairies in their Round 12 game winning the match 30-13.

Nymagee Magpies and JKM Dynamic Fitness played their game early, meeting on Friday night under lights.

Both teams were still short on players but managed to field sides with the help of floaters.

It was a close match with Nymagee Magpies eventually claiming a 51-42 win.