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Northern bowlers break drought with zone win as Batavia, Central West Coastal, Central, North Midlands team up

Joe CriddleGeraldton Guardian
The successful inter zone bowls side.
Camera IconThe successful inter zone bowls side. Credit: Supplied

Northern bowlers have ended a nine-year drought at zone level, winning the Inter Zone Round Robin at Kelleberrin Bowling Club with a five-side team that included league players from the Batavia, Central West Coastal and Central and North Midlands.

The representative sides, selected from the Inter League series earlier this season, won their three matches against the South West, Southern and Eastern zones to amass 10 rink wins and a draw, with a creditable 86 shots accumulated over the three encounters.

Two teams from the Northern side claimed undefeated status in a telling performance against the cream of WA’s elite country players to ensure the drought would end.

Faye Sudilowski from Geraldton, Northampton’s Kaye Burton, Val Exten, Wonthella, and Lisa Downing, Denison, claimed the championship rink with a superior 30 shots up over teammates Jess Enright, North Midlands, Eva Watson, Northampton, Leanne Benyon, North Midlands, and Chris Lewis, Central West Coastal, with 25 shots up.

The playing surface was running at a slower-than-normal 12 to 13 seconds, which was not ideal for the Northern style of play but in the end only added to the impressiveness of the achievement.

The ladies finished one game and 61 shots clear of pre-tournament favourites South West , who finished with two wins and seven rinks from the 15 fifteen contested .

The team had impressed over the two days of Inter League competition earlier in the season, with selectors delighted by the balance in the squad and all sides showing consistency and competitiveness in the drought-breaking inter-zone contest. selected team which came from the Inter League series earlier this season acquitted themselves well throughout the two-day of competition with selectors delighted with how the team balance worked, all sides commented as ultra-consistent and very competitive in the drought-breaking series.

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