SWITCHING to a two-day pairs format paid off in spades for Dubbo Railway Bowling Club's annual Easter carnival, with nominations almost doubling for the tournament this year.
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A total of 36 teams nominated for the carnival which wrapped up on Saturday, with local players beating some of the state's best to take out the top three. Nominations at the Easter Carnival in past years peaked at 14.
Bowls co-ordinator Jayson Pinnock said with $5000 up for grabs, players came from right across the state to compete, including Australian representative David Ferguson (Wagga Wagga), NSW representative Nathan Wise (Sydney) and Bowls NSW Indigenous Hall of Famer William 'Billy' Stanton.
"The tournament was really good. All of the visitors really loved it," Pinnock said.
"It's the first time that this format has been played here. It used to be a three-day carnival so each day they were playing for prize money but I have changed it to a two-day pairs carnival.
"By putting it into the two-day format it commits the players to two days. We had a great quality field, the greens were good and the facilities were great. They flocked from everywhere."
The main prize was taken out by the team of Ben Sullivan and Jay Porter with six wins and a margin of plus 62, followed by Mick Rea and Mat McIntyre with six wins and a margin of plus 35.
In third with five wins and a draw and a margin of plus 53 was the team of Pinnock and Dean Collin, while Australian junior Jono Davis alongside Neville White came in fourth with five wins and a margin of plus 50.
"Benny and I have played in those tournaments for six years I think," one half of the winning pair, Jay Porter, said.
"We haven't won it before but this year the committee changed the format and subsequently some state players were in attendance.
"We knew it was going to be tough but just had enough in the end."
The pair won all three of their games on day one, including a tight contest against Wise and partner Dan Davis, and a large win on day two put them at least 20 points out in front of their nearest rivals.
"Effectively all we had to do was win on the last game to secure it," Porter said.
"Nathan Wise, he used to play with us but he has moved to Sydney now and he is a NSW representative. We played him in the third game, only by one or two but it was enough."
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"Definitely if you look at the results of the carnival it was all the locals that took it out in the end," Pinnock said.
"Basically the club is out there across the state and known as a very good quality club.
"Especially for the good quality players, there's not a lot of representative stuff on over Easter so it was really able to open up the fields."
Kurri Kurri, which brought four teams (three teams and a composite team) to the carnival, have already indicated an interest in bringing four to five teams to Dubbo in 2017, and making the tournament an annual affair.
Pinnock said the blind draw was popular, with teams unsure of who they were facing until they got onto the green, and it was a good experience all round.
"I think that Dubbo Railway took out the top three positions as a club is a highlight in itself," Pinnock said.
"36 teams...makes 72 competitors - and they do spend. When you look at the accommodation that they require, a lot of them go to the restaurants and pubs around town and a lot of them look around while they're here as well.
"Then overall it just came down to the camaraderie that was here. Sometimes there can be some egos that clash but the atmosphere of the club took that away and it was just a great weekend."
