O60 State Carnival | Mixed Pairs Wrap-Up
Hosted across five venues over the first two days of the Carnival, the Mixed Pairs was definitely popular! One hundred & forty-eight teams, two hundred & ninety-six bowlers, took to the greens at Barham, Cohuna, Gunbower, Kerang and Kerang Golf Bowls Club. Participants were varied, from the well-seasoned with forty plus years of bowls under their belts, to some very new bowlers, but all appeared to be having a ball! Some travelled from afar in their RV’s, taking a week in Barham on their trek up north. Many had played in Moama’s carnival last week and will be adding both to their 2025 calendar of bowls events.
What a terrifc job our host clubs have done so far, from Gunbower, a club with just twenty-two members but two magnificent grass greens, to the hub at CluBarham, we’ve heard so many positive comments from bowlers about the warm hospitality, beautiful greens, and helpfulness of volunteers.
Some familiar names amongst the Section winners as we headed into knockout rounds. Below are all the Section winners across each venue:
CLUBARHAM
Di Hands & John Stokes
Wayne Gneil & Margaret Kelly
Julie Fitt & Bob Watt
John Berry & Sheryl Howard
COHUNA
Andrew Dennis & Robyn Dennis
Ken Paulson & Paula Wood
Gayle Edwards & Craig Morris
Chuck Parker & Jenny Parker
Julie Dosser & Kevin O’Keefe
Neville Brown & Claire Smyth
Sheryl Atkinson & Milan Prosenica
Jan Hurst & Mick O’Neil
GUNBOWER
Nick Dawe & Carol Protopapas
John Parker & Vicki Smith
Jill Hopper & Greg Plier
Karen Sheers & Dennis Throup
Moira Cooknell & Ray Cooknell
Robert Priddle & Christine Savage
KERANG
Graeme Spencer & Barbara Vaughan
Karen Brennan & Warren Perris
Cecil Moss & Joan Moss
Lynette Taylor & Wayne Taylor
Mick Daly & Dianne McLeod
Barbara Moore & Darryl Moore
Jenn Le Cerf & Frank Tarr
Arthur Finch & Dianne Finch
Terry Kelly & Christine Taylor
Geoff Howes & Susan Howes
BARHAM BOWLS CLUB
Roberta Paddle & Stephen Sheaf
Rhonda Gallagher & Ivan Hicks
Jenny Keep & Mick West
Paul Clear & Jean Fairchild
KERANG GOLF
Robyn Thomassen & Chris Young
Michelle Cunnington & Stephen Cunnington
Clair Sanders & Garry Sanders
Lidija Patching & Steve Patching
Mick Swan & Jannette Tinning
Moving on to the knockout rounds, and boy were there some brilliant matches at both Cahuna & CluBarham. There were numerous heartbreaking one-shot losses across both the last sixty-four and last thirty-two rounds, taking out some well-known talent along the way.
City Memorial’s pairing of Julie Dosser & Kevin O’Keefe went through to the final last sixteen after back-to-back one-shot wins, as did the powerhouse of Robyn Thomassen & Chris Young, Barb Vaughan & Graeme Spencer, Carol Protopapas & Nick Dawe and Mick Swan & Nett Tinning. So many nail-biters!
The eight Quarter-Finalists were a mix of city and country bowlers, from fourteen different clubs across the state, and with some huge accomplishments within the group. To call out just a few of their recent successes, the finalists include; 2023-24 Pennant State Champion (Jen Le Cerf), 2024 Women’s Pairs Victorian State Champion (Julie Fitt), four 2023-24 O60 Victorian State Representative players (Carol Protopapas, Nick Dawe, Chris Young, Robyn Thomassen), plus multiple Region representatives and Region title holders, and the list definitely goes on.
The fourth timeslot of the day saw two Quarter Finals play out at each venue, and amazingly, three of the four resulted in the same scoreline of 16 – 9 with the other coming down to the wire, 15-14.
Congratulations to the four Mixed Pairs below, who’ll play their Semi-Finals at CluBarham on Sunday morning:
Nick Dawe & Carol Protopapas
(Heathmont)
vs
Jen Le Cerf & Frank Tarr
(Ocean Grove / City of Geelong)
Mick Swan & Jannette Tinning
(Heywood / Balmoral)
vs
Vicki Smith & John Parker
(Lilydale / Mitcham)
Follow the results in Bowlslink: https://bit.ly/BV2024O60Draw
