Pattaya Sports Club lawn bowls players win International Bowls tournament.
Three players from the Pattaya Sports Club lawn bowls team recently competed and won in a major International tournament at Crusaders Club in Clark, Philippines.
The three players were Peter Barnes (skip). Greg Monkman and John Underwood who all represent Pattaya Sports Club in the PSC bowls league.
The tournament was a triples competition, and featured teams from USA,New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. Among the players competing was the current ladies World singles champion Tayla Bruce from NZ, and Selina Goddard, the pairs silver medallist. The Malaysian and Philippines teams were teams selected from the National squads.
The tournament started badly for the PSC team, losing 9 shots on the first 2 ends to a Philippine men’s team. That match ended in a 15-11 loss. From that moment, the team went through the remainder of the tournament unbeaten. This included a day 1 qualifying for either the main competition or the plate competition. Both Thail teams qualified for the main competition. The other team being a team from The Retreat Lawn Bowls club in Pattaya, which included club owner Colin Brocklehurst and also Australian Alan Austin, plus a Philippine National lady player.
Day 2 was qualifying for the last 8, and the PSC team made it with a last end victory over the Malaysian No.1 team. Unfortunately The Retreat team were eliminated.
On Day 3, the PSC boys beat a team from Hong Kong, and then a notable victory over the ladies Philippine team who had eliminated the two NZ World medallists in the semis.
In the final, played against a Thai player from RBSC, plus Errol and Issy Johnson, a very close encounter early was rapidly turned into a comfortable victory, by some great bowling from skip Peter Barnes, ably supported by Greg and John. The final score was 21-7.
A great after party was put on by the hosting Crusaders club, featuring live music and professional dancers.
Pattaya Lawn Bowls League: Sunshine, Paradise Shine; PSC Triumphs
The third season of the Lawn Bowls League commenced on September 9th, featuring two all-Thai teams, Sunshine and Paradise, facing off at Jomtien. Simultaneously, the Pattaya Sports Club took on the Retreat Bowls Club in Huay Yai. Notably, last year’s champions, Coco Lawn Bowls Club, had a bye for the initial round.
The third season of the Lawn Bowls League commenced on September 9th, featuring two all-Thai teams, Sunshine and Paradise, facing off at Jomtien. Simultaneously, the Pattaya Sports Club took on the Retreat Bowls Club in Huay Yai. Notably, last year’s champions, Coco Lawn Bowls Club, had a bye for the initial round.
The match between Sunshine and Paradise underscored this dilemma. Paradise, an experienced and talented team, demonstrated their prowess on their home ground in Jomtien, winning 22-2. Despite the outcome, Sunshine’s Khun Piya ‘Joke’ Klubmart expressed optimism about his team’s performance and eagerly anticipated future fixtures.
Khun Piya has consistently championed the introduction of new players. Last year, young Thara made his bowls debut, and Sunshine Lawn Bowls Club provides daily training sessions for local youth after school or work. Recent recruits, including Witsurat, a local factory supervisor, and Phu, a 16-year-old student, have injected fresh energy into the Sunshine team. Khun Piya remarked, “Their enthusiasm and willingness to learn are evident, and as they continue to hone their skills, we anticipate even more exciting performances from these new recruits.”
The third season of the Lawn Bowls League commenced on September 9th, featuring two all-Thai teams, Sunshine and Paradise, facing off at Jomtien. Simultaneously, the Pattaya Sports Club took on the Retreat Bowls Club in Huay Yai. Notably, last year’s champions, Coco Lawn Bowls Club, had a bye for the initial round.
In the other match, both Retreat and PSC encountered challenges in fielding teams in some fixtures last season. However, benefiting from the redistribution of players due to the reduction of one team, they engaged in a thrilling contest at the Retreat bowls center—a virtual home derby. The ‘old guard’ of Stan Rees, Dick Braimbridge, and Ian Wadell secured PSC’s winning start in the first triples match. Wan, Dick’s wife led her team to victory in their triples match and continued the success in her pairs match. Leading 5-3 after two rounds, PSC Captain John Underwood relied on the dream team of Keith Fortt, Ian McKillock, and Rudy Regenas. Although Colin W, Arthur, and Kenny resisted, the seasoned trio of Peter Barnes, Greg Monkman, and the skip sealed only the second-ever win for PSC in the league!
Of the 11 games played, PSC won 4 of the 7 triples and 2 of the 4 pairs matches, resulting in a 12-10 match score plus 2 bonus points. Congratulations to all involved on a fantastic day of bowling.
