Thrills at mid-week trips finals

As the Port Natal Bowls calendar nears its close, the semi-finals and finals of the penultimate event — the Mid-Week Trips hosted by Mt Edgecombe Country Club — delivered the kind of excitement that keeps bowlers coming back year after year.

The four section winners in each of the men’s and ladies’ divisions faced off in fiercely contested semi-finals, each side eyeing a coveted spot in the final.

In the men’s semis, Westville BC’s Rodney Ward, Lionel van Niekerk and Warren Kidd held a slender 10–9 lead going into the last end against Durban Collegians’ Rudi Hollenbach, Trevor Freeman and Bonga Ngcaka. In a nail-biting finish, the Westville trio added two vital shots to secure their place in the final.

The other semi was more one-sided, with Chatsworth’s Sugaran Govender, Colin Govender and Sydney Pulliah cruising to victory after Stella Park’s Allen Finestone, Brett Terblanche and Shane Roelofse conceded with two ends to go.

The final saw the Westville men prove that consistency wins games. Taking an early lead, they held their nerve to close out a 12–8 win over Chatsworth, claiming gold and leaving their opponents with well-earned silver medals.

In the bronze playoff, Stella Park staged an inspired comeback from nine shots down after just three ends but fell just short as Durban Collegians took the match 15–13 — and with it, the bronze medals.

The ladies’ semi-finals offered equal drama. The formidable Umhlanga trio of Leonie Koedyk, Linda Ellis (both PNB district representatives) and Maria Dreyer (recently retired from district play) outplayed Westville CC’s Janine Aan Den Toon, Delia North and Mari Clark to book their place in the final.

Meanwhile, the second Westville CC side — Penny Krauspe, Colleen Bailey and Lynne Pienaar — reversed their club’s fortunes in the other semi, sweeping aside Mt Edgecombe’s Marilyn Adcock, Lynn Jacoby and Erica Heyns in a commanding performance.

The Umhlanga/Westville final was a nail-biting affair from start to finish. With neither team managing to dominate and the scoreboard showing the ladies level with three ends to play, Krauspe’s team edged ahead by two, only for Umhlanga to counter and draw level once again. In a tense final end, Umhlanga drew the crucial shot to claim the title by a single shot. 

Mt Edgecombe earned a positive result in the bronze playoff, giving the home side a strong finish to their campaign.

Attention now turns to the Port Natal Fours Championship, which got underway last weekend, bringing together some of the district’s finest bowlers in a contest many regard as the toughest test of the game.

With each player delivering only two bowls, it leaves little room for error and demands unwavering precision. It is a discipline where consistency outweighs flair, and where the balance of a side can turn a tight head into a winning result.

For selectors, performances in fours often provide the clearest indication of a player’s reliability under pressure, making this championship a proving ground for those with district ambitions. 

With reputations and future opportunities at stake, the playoffs on Saturday and Sunday promise both drama and high-quality competition.