Wayne Rittmuller and James Galloway (Belgravia) before their knockout game against Westville BC ’s Russell Funnel and Paul White.
Image: Jane Malan
After the excitement and success of the Bowls South Africa Women’s Open hosted by Port Natal Bowls, attention has now shifted to Pretoria where the country’s top men bowlers are battling it out in the prestigious BSA Men’s Open, hosted by Bowls Gauteng North.
With play spread across sixteen venues, local supporters have been closely following the performances of Port Natal bowlers as they compete for national honours in the singles, pairs and fours disciplines. Several local players have already produced standout performances to progress into the knockout stages of the competition.
The tournament opened with the pairs sectional play and first-round playoffs and, from an impressive field of 415 entries, two Port Natal combinations remain among the final thirty-two, a noteworthy achievement at national level.
One of the highlights came from Westville Bowling Club’s Paul White and Russell Funnell who produced a spirited victory over Belgravia’s Protea representative Wayne Rittmuller and his partner James Galloway. Despite strong local support and chants of “There’s no way but the Galloway” echoing around the green, the Westville duo kept their composure to secure a memorable 19-12 win.
Nathan Delport (Ridge Park BC), Arnie Muscat, Ashton Muller (Ridge Park) and Doug Bashford after the PNB side won their sectional game played at Wingate Park.
Image: Jane Malan
Ironically, the draw has paired them against fellow Port Natal bowlers Doug Bashford and Arnie Muscat of Umhlali Country Club in the next playoff. Bashford and Muscat have been in outstanding form, going unbeaten through their five-game section before comfortably defeating SA Correctional Services pair Hennie van Tonder and Francois Troskie 17-9 in the playoffs.
Local interest now turns to the Open Singles where several Port Natal bowlers remain in contention at Pretoria High School Old Boys Bowling Club and will play knockout rounds today.
Among those flying the local flag are Westville’s Dion Audie, Lionel van Niekerk and Warren Kidd; Hillcrest’s Wayne Roberts and Peter Morgan-Edwards and Umhlanga’s Chris Strover.
The Veteran Singles section has also seen strong Port Natal representation. Bowlers still in the hunt for honours today include Hennie Heyn (Mt Edgecombe CC), Jeff Harris (Northlands), Doug Bashford (Umhlali), Rene de Reland and Lance Mansfield (Westville), Roger Boulle (Firwood) and Krish Naidoo (Bluff).
At the time of going to print, the fours competition had completed three of five sectional games and several local teams were leading their sections with unbeaten records.
Among the frontrunners are Umhlali Country Club’s Louis Tolmay, Gerrit Janse van Rensburg, Lester Colman and Johan van Zyl alongside another strong Umhlali combination of Doug Bashford, John Connellan, Richard Connellan and Arnie Muscat.
Hillcrest Bowling Club also has two sides in excellent form - John Peacock, Peter Morgan-Edwards, Jurgen Huse and George Parker remain unbeaten as do Wayne Roberts, Dion Audie, Morne Scheepers and Daniel Vaughn.
Adding to the local challenge are Umhlanga’s Chris Strover, Jason Butterfield, Roy Strover and Jason Lott who have also started strongly in their section.
Another local bowler attracting attention is Roger Boulle who has joined forces with Gerry Baker and his Morningside Country Club side which includes Glen Scarola and Johan van der Walt.
With knockout rounds approaching and finals scheduled for Sunday, Port Natal supporters still have plenty to cheer for as local bowlers continue their quest for national medals in Pretoria.