The Mount Gambier District Indoor Bowls Association held its last association championship for the 2024 season before the remaining minor round games and finals.
The Intersport/Colleen Pearson Memorial Ladies singles attracted 17 entries and the Pearson Family/Athol and Sue Malseed Men’s singles 32 entries, which also incorporated the Ian Simpson Memorial Champion of Champions.
In the ladies singles, the semi-
final saw RSL & District player Tru Franklin take victory from Glencoe player Heather Carthew 5 shots to 4.
The other semi-final saw Bronwyn Hill from Blue Lake Bowlers beat the Wandilo Water Rats player Nicola Bowditch 6-4.
This set up a final between Franklin and Hill, Franklin scored the first four ends, giving her a six shot lead with three ends to go. Hill could only win two of the three ends which was not enough to close the gap. This gave Franklin victory and the 2024 Intersport/Colleen Pearson Memorial Ladies singles championship 7-3.
In the Pearson Family/Athol and Sue Malseed Men’s singles the first semi-final went to Post-Tel’s Zac Pearson over the Wandilo Water Rats’ Peter Gregory 6-5 after an extra end.
In the second semi-final Blue Lake Bowlers player Thomas Butler beat Kevin Pannell from Moorak 7-4.
The men’s final between Pearson and Butler lined up to be a very close game, but it was not with Butler only winning two ends.
He won the first end and then Pearson scored on the next four.
Butler scored two shots on the sixth end to only make it two the difference going into the last end.
Pearson scored one shot on the last end to take victory 7-4 in the 2024 men’s singles championship for the third year running.
This saw Pearson and Franklin meet in the Ian Simpson Memorial Champion of Champions – something that both wanted to win with Franklin going for her first and Pearson for his third year in a row.
The Champion of Champions game was expected to be close but the result was very different.
Franklin only managed to win three shots on the first end.
She tried her hardest but Pearson was consistently drawing shot every time to win the Memorial Champion of Champions named after his uncle.
Pearson won the silverware 11-3 for his third time in a row.
In the ladies consolation semi-finals Keisha Pearson (Post-Tel) defeated Lorraine VanDen Hoogen (Post-Tel) 5-3 and Carmel McQuade (Saints) defeated Jo Gogan (Moorak) 10-1.
The ladies consolation final was won by Pearson defeating McQuade 13-3.
In the men’s consolation semi-finals Simon Davis (Glenburnie) defeated Steve Von Duve (Post-Tel) 7-3 and Alan Stewart (Saints) defeated Michael Cameron (Commercial Club) 6-1.
The men’s consolation final was won by Davis defeating Stewart 9-2.
The Mount Gambier District Indoor Bowls Association also held a junior singles championship proudly sponsored by Marie Pedlar on the same night.
Callum Burges from Blue Lake Bowlers, Casey Bourn from Glenburnie and Dulcie Bloomfield from Blue Lake Bowlers all took part.
The three played a round robin with the winner of the 2024 Junior Singles Championship Callum Burges and runner up Dulcie Bloomfield.