THE Noel Soane pairs tournament is one of the richest junior competitions in the state and it did not disappoint when played out at West Dubbo Bowling Club late last week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With $3000 in prize money up for grabs, teams came from St John's Park, Raymond Terrace, Wee Waa, Gunnedah, Mudgee, East Lakes Sports, Orange, Rylstone, Nyngan, East Maitland, Glenn Innes, Bomaderry, Gulgong, Coonabarabran and Trangie while Dubbo clubs City, Railway and West all took part.
The tournament, now in its 16th year, is split into two divisions, 14 years and 15-18 years and all who took part made it one of the most high-quality tournament seen in some years.
There was also plenty for the locals to cheer about with Railway prodigy Jono Davis taking out the 15-18 years division alongside Kurri Kurri's Tailor Appleby.
The duo finished on 91 points, well clear of the Nyngan pairing of Logan Fraser and Tim Walsh, who scored 75 points, while David Wood (West Dubbo) and Tyron Pennell (Rylstone) were third with 72.
It was the third time Davis has won at the tournament with the previous two in the 14 years division.
In the 2016 edition of the 14 years, the Raymond Terrace team of Blair Soars and Zak Nicholas won with 91 points also, while Gulgong duo Kyle Blake and Luke Thompson scored 78 to finish second, one point ahead of the other Raymond Terrace team of Luke Evans and Brendan Stokes.
The winners of both age groups are in some esteemed company with previous champions including Carly Healy, Chris Herden and David Ferguson, all who are currently in the state team while Natasha Scott is also a previous winner and she is now a member of the Australian team.
The tournament, named after a man who coached junior bowlers at West Dubbo in the late 90s, was a great success and the club's bowls manager Anthony Brown received a stack of positive feedback from parents, who indicated they will be back next year.
Brown had great assistance from the members of Club Dubbo in running the tournament with June Usher, Dina Moore and Deb Morrow deserving special credit for serving the meals for the kids while Matt Ball, Steve Robinson and Bruce Baker were kept busy at the barbecue.
NSW junior selector John Rodis was also in attendance and was a big help to Brown and also the bowlers.