Emu Point quartet are the country week fours champions after prevailing in men’s final

A quartet from Emu Point Bowling Club have been named country week champions. The Emu Point team of Jon Sharp, Matt Mitchell, Doug Wright and Stephen Tuffley secured the fours title after beating a composite team 15 shots to nine in the decider at Osborne Park Bowling Club on March 11. After winning all five regular games, the Emu Point side were dominant winners in the second round, then got the upper hand over a Geraldton side in the last 16 stage. In the quarterfinals Sharp, Mitchell, Wright and Tuffley won 15-11 over Eaton’s Ray Mosele, Bradley Horton, Gordon Twist and Leslie Brook and finished winners, 15-11. They dominated the semifinals, outpointing Kellerberrin (Geoff Main, Geoff Cox, Scott O’Neill and Mark White) 24 shots to 15 to book a place in the final. The Emu Point side were too strong in the decider, defeating Ian Cartledge, Darren Kellond, Stan Hunter and Tony Dibello by six shots. “The result was something very special for us, it’s something we really set ourselves to win, and to win it with three great mates, we will always have that special connection between us now,” Mitchell said. “It is always challenging, country week, by the time you get to the finals. “By Friday you have played for 9-10 days but we knew if we kept playing the way we had we would succeed.” The victory ended a long country week drought for Wright, who last tasted success at the event with the pairs title back in 1981. In the pairs competition, Albany duo Jonathon Davidson and Richard Plant reached the quarterfinals before going down 14 shots to four against Darkan’s Mark Wunnenberg and George Gray. Davidson and Plant won a thriller in the last 32 stage, edging out a Harvey pair by a single shot before claiming a 12-5 victory in the round of 16. Mitchell and Sharp were shock losers in the last 32, beaten by Eaton’s Mosele and Brook. In a strong country week showing, Davidson also reached the semifinals in the singles format but lost to eventual champion Matthew France from Merredin. France proved too strong in the semis, winning 21-12 to end the Albany bowler’s run. Davidson had a 21-13 win in the last 64 stage before a 21-11 win over Wagin’s Warren Holt in the last 32 and then, in the round of 16, edged out Tony Edwards, 21-14. In the quarterfinals Davidson beat Jerramungup’s Trevor Pearce convincingly, 21-6. Mitchell was eliminated from the singles title race in the quarterfinals, going down to France 21-16.