The Finals of the NSW Club Challenge were held at Warilla on the South Coast.

In the round robin section of the finals our team came up against two of the favourites, Taren Point and Raymond Terrace and also Engadine.

Our boys but on a good show against Taren Point and Raymond Terrace but went down in fairly close games. Better luck against Engadine, winning all three rinks but failed to get through to the Final stages.

Congratulations to our team, Baldy Frame, Garry Carberry, Tom Furey, Mark Dwyer, Tom Casey, Joe Davies and Greg Townsend (Manager and Reserve) on a great effort getting to the finals and a strong showing at Warilla.

Club Championships

During the past week the finals of the Mixed Pairs and Pennant Challenge were played.

Mixed Pairs

I don't have details of this match but I'm told some brilliant bowls were played by both teams and in particular the "match winner" Maree Grant. Maree and her partner Tom Furey proved to be too good for Liz Byrne and Col Mudie and they scored five shots on the last end to run out winners "20 something" to 11.

Pennant Challenge

In the final of this Championship Steve Ryan and Graham Barby had a one shot handicap advantage and won the first four ends to lead Brett Frame and Brian Townsend 7-0.

After eleven ends Brett and Brian had fought back and were only behind by two shots, 9-7. Steve and Graham then took control of the match and with three ends to play lead 18-11.

The last three ends were won by Brett and Brian but they could not quite bridge the gap and Steve and Graham ran out winners 18-16.

Congratulations to all players involved and in particular Maree & Tom and Steve and Graham, Champions for 2019.

Social Bowls

Thursday, December 5

In the closest match of the day, Gary McPhee and John Wright came up against Col Mudie and John Watson. After twelve ends the score was 15 all but Gary and John won seven of the remaining end to run out winners 22-17.

In other matches:

Saturday, December 7

On a very hot day sixteen brave bowlers took to the green to play six games of Pairs.

In a tight start to the match, Rob Irving and John Dunn lead Col Miller and Jim Blake 6-5 after seven ends. On the next end Col and Jim scored five shots and with four ends to play had opened up a ten shot lead, 22-12.

Rob and John won the last four ends but came up short and Col and Jim won the match 22-20.

Greg Howlett and Col Woods scored six shots on the first three ends against John Ward and Martin Tighe and never lost the lead. However, scores were pretty close and in the end Greg and Col were winners 21-19.

Col Hayward and Brian Townsend proved too strong for Arthur Corbett and John Wright, 25-16.

In the other match, Col Mudie and Ray Jones scored quite a few and Geoff Freeman and Mal Porter didn't score enough.

Rink 4 was the lucky one this week but Geoff Freeman wasn't able to bring up the lucky seven to win the $160 prize.

Twilight Bowls

Another great night for bowls and some very close games. One match was drawn, two were won by one shot and one was won by two shots.

Results were:

Thanks again to Tom Furey and his helpers for another good night of bowling, Hot dogs during the game and after game supper.

Next week is the last game for this year- hope to see you all back next year and, maybe, a few new teams.

If you haven't played bowls before or are looking to get back into it why not get a couple of friends to make up a team or just come along and we will fit you into a team.

All equipment is supplied, all you need are some flat soled shoes (or bare feet if you prefer). Cost is $10 per game but the first and last games of the year are free and we always have supper after the game.

I'm not sure when we are starting up next year but will advertise well before the date.

General

The badge draw was not won last week and will be worth about $1500 this week. As usual, it will be drawn on Friday night sometime after 8.00 when the raffle is finished.

Hope to see you at the club for the chance to enjoy a great Pub style meal, win a prize in the raffle (maybe even a half ham) and (if you are a Member) have a chance to take home the Badge Draw jackpot.

The Rookie

Thirty veterans played at Parkes in the weekly clash between Parkes and Forbes last Thursday.

The weather was reasonably kind and the course played true.

In conjunction with the battle for the Mick Miller Shield, the veterans played for the Mike Dunne Memorial Trophy.

Mike was a veteran stalwart and a member of the Parkes committee for many years before his passing two years ago. Graham Cooke (Pks) took out both the individual prize and the trophy on 26 points on a count-back from last year's winner, Csaba Belley. Joe Davies took out the encouragement award.

Nearest the pin winners were Barry Parker, John Pearce, Nym Dziuba and Tom Delmimico.

The Mick Miller Shield points went to the Parkes boys, 148 to 131.

This week we play at Forbes in an eighteen holes competition commencing at 10am.

This will be followed by our combined Christmas Dinner, provided by the lads at Forbes.

Mcl

Honesty is a virtue and possessing it in bucketfuls is the five year old Bathurst trained mare Worldly Pleasure.

Trained by Dean Mirfin for the Bathurst based Deal family and their friends the O'Connor and Lennon families, Worldly Pleasure scored a game win on the Kensington track at Royal Randwick on Friday and advanced an already enviable record to seven wins and three placings from 17 starts and a prize money tally of over $110,000.

Although consistent with two thirds at Dubbo and a fourth at Bathurst when commencing racing as a late three year old, Worldly Pleasure was overshadowed by others from the Dean Mirfin stable with Jetgirl and Winterconi winning two of those races.

In fact, Dean Mirfin trained the trifecta at Dubbo with Jetgirl beating Winterconi and Worldly Pleasure.

The breakthrough for Worldly Pleasure came in November 2018 when beating Supreme Gem and Stars Galawe in a 1000 metres Maiden Handicap at Orange when ridden by Eleanor Webster-Hawes.

During the 2018/2019 racing season Worldly Pleasure was to win six races including three at Orange and two at Bathurst followed by a stirring victory at Canterbury over Mocassin Miss and Koonunga, to give Eleanor Webster-Hawes her first Sydney win.

In one season Dean Mirfin had taken Worldly Pleasure from a Maiden win to being a winner in metropolitan company.

Eleanor Webster-Hawes was the winning rider on five occasions while Jamie Gibbons, then apprenticed to Dean Mirfin, was aboard for the other win.

First win for the new season, at Randwick on Friday, saw Eleanor Webster-Hawes miss the winning ride as being stable jockey for Bathurst trainer partnership Don and Andrew Ryan she took the ride on Ave in the same race.

To lessen the big weight allocated to Worldly Pleasure, Cejay Graham who was able to claim a 3kg apprentice allowance was booked for the ride.

Cejay Graham who is the daughter of leading north coast jockey Peter Graham, took Worldly Pleasure to the early lead however the Bathurst mare was under siege when joined by two more fancied runners at the top of the straight.

In a typically brave performance Worldly Pleasure ( $18 ) refused to concede and fought back to win by a half length from the Kris Lees trained Bubbles Ball ( Samantha Clenton, $4 ) and the Chris Waller trained Voila ( Brock Ryan, $7.50 ).

There is a poignant story regarding the colours carried by the Bathurst mare Worldly Pleasure since commencing racing as a three year old filly in June 2018.Thought to be the tallest jockey in Australia, Stuart Brown rode hundreds of winners on the Picnic circuit before his death from cancer, aged 43, in 2015.

At the village where he was reared , Stuart Brown rode three Bedgerabong Picnic Cup winners, Emerald Park, Thuntastique and Fujimoto, all being trained at Orange by Andrew Wardle.

Buried with Stuart Brown at the Bedgerabong cemetery were the blue jacket with white star colours he wore in the Cup wins on Thuntastique and Fujimoto owned by the Deal family from Bathurst.When the filly Worldly Pleasure came in to the ownership of the Deal family a new set of colours was designed and made.

The blue jacket and white star remained however the cap colour was changed to brown, to honour Stuart Brown, while black arm bands were added in memory of the late Max Wardle, a former leading Orange trainer and the father of Andrew Wardle who trained the Bedgerabong Cup winners.Worldly Pleasure, now a dual Sydney winner, is the first galloper to carry the new colours.

Racing at Warren on Friday followed by Orange ( Monday, December 16 ), Dubbo ( Saturday, December 21 ) Bathurst ( Monday, December 23 ), Wellington ( Boxing Day ), Gilgandra ( Saturday December 28 ), Trangie Picnics ( Sunday, December 29 ), Orange ( Monday December 30 ).

Colin Hodges