Batavia Red dominant in northern round robin win

The 48th annual Northern Zone Round Robin series played at the Denison Bowling Club last weekend saw the home-based Batavia Red take out the title.

The side suffered just one aggregate defeat by a solitary shot to Moore Districts (80/81) in the third round of the two-and-a-half day five-match tournament.

The group amassed a staggering plus 141 shots up after winning 14 and drawing one game.

Central West Coast finished second with four wins and a loss, defeat coming against the Reds in round two of the series. The end result saw Central claim 11 rink wins with a plus 15 shots on completion.

Moore Districts on three wins, nine rinks and plus 20 finished third, ahead of North Midlands and Central Midlands, both finishing with one win.

Batavia White finished sixth without an aggregate for the first time in its history. The group won five rinks in a luckless weekend that resulted in a negative 97 shots from the five outings.

The competition for the championship rink proved to be the closest event of the tournament, two quartets from the Batavia Red team winning all five matches, with just one shot separating the two combinations for honours.

The winners for the 2022 edition was the quartet of Shane Guidice-Nairn, Mike Ford, Michael Walton and Mark Adams, who finished with 10 points (5 wins) plus 43 shots ahead of Batavia teammates Brad King, Tony O’Brien, Aiden McAuliffe and Terry Koltasz on 10 points plus 42 shots.

The event ran like clockwork, with Denison praised for the way the venue was presented along with the playing surface that gave all competing the opportunity to play any shot required over the tournament.

The combined zone team was announced after the tournament was finished, with Batavia suppling 11 of the 20-strong team.

The Northern team selected is Joel Leeson (skipper), Jon Trotter (third), Ian Carlshausen (second) and Warwick Glenister (lead), along with Guidice-Nairn, Ford, Walton and Adams.

King will guide O’Brien, Peter Leeson, and Hamish Stalker, former Country Week pairs champions Steve Fewster and Steve Beckwith join Paul Fewster and Wade Clatworthy and the final foursome brings together Alan Carlton, Wes Benton, Brian Chambers and Trevor Haeusler.

The 2022 Northern Zone representative side reserve players include Chad Eva, Don Jones, Glen Watson, and Craig McDonald, all on standby should they be required.

The side will compete in the star-studded Inter-zone Round Robin which brings together the best players from East, South, and West regions of the State to compete at the Busselton Bowling Club in early February.

From this, the 2022 WA Country All-stars team will be selected to compete against the Metropolitan all-star team on Thursday, March 3, at the Osborne Park Club the evening before the start of the 2022 State Country Week titles.