Pinjarra Bowling Club’s Steve Unsworth took out the 2018 Murray District Bowling League (MDBL) Men’s Singles Championship after a titanic final against Mandurah’s James Webster on the weekend.
A total 48 of the local bowling league’s finest kicked off sectional and knockout play on Saturday at the Dudley Park Bowling and Recreation Club in their quest to become the leagues singles champion for the 2017/18 season, but it was Unsworth that topped the field.
The 16 section winners from day one included Mandurah’s James Webster, Scott O’Brien and Jason O’Brien, along with Dudley Park’s Paul McGranaghan, Allan Cowie, Wayne Hough, Josh Brooks, Peter Rogalski, Mark Simpson and Brett Baker.
Yunderup’s Allan Grieves, Will Hyatt and Gary Blacklock were among them, as was Halls Head’s Peter Nicolay, Waroona’s Andrew Goodman and Unsworth.
As players were knocked out the crop whittled down to its finest for Sunday’s semi finals.
The forecast of wet weather eventuated and play was transferred to the indoor green at Mandurah.
Semi finalists Webster, Simpson, Grieves and Unsworth put on an awesome display, with the former duo playing out an arm wrestle with scores level at 17 shots apiece before Webster closed out the game with twos on consecutive ends to win his way to the final.
Grieves and Unsworth took to the green in another tight semi final of their own, with scores level at 17-all before Unsworth picked up a three and a single to take the match.
The final was an absolute cracker fitting of a TV broadcast with Unsworth bolting out of the blocks to lead 8-0 after four ends, before Webster picked up a three to open his account on the score board.
Webster clawed his way back into the contest with a major change to minimum length to level scores at nine.
The game remained close until Unsworth picked up a vital three to hit the lead 16-13, but Webster won the following two ends with singles to close the scores to 15-16.
Both bowlers were in excellent touch with shot changing hands four times per end on a regular basis down the stretch.
With the score at 20-19 in Unsworth’s favour the shot changed hands another four times on the last end before he secured the one-shot needed to claim the MDBL Men’s Singles Championship title 21-19 over a very gallant Webster in an epic final.
