Campaspe lawn bowls clubs hosted more than 220 players in the two events, which started on Sunday and ended on the eve of another major event, the region sides championship, commencing today.
Male and female representative teams of 12 bowlers, from all 16 regions in Victoria, will descend on Moama and Echuca for the event.
Campaspe is strongly represented with more than half of the women’s team from the area, in the Bendigo Campaspe Goldfield regional team, but only one male bowler — Bradley Campbell — is in the men’s BCG squad.
Fours champion skip Stephenson, along with Sandra Connolly, and several of Echuca’s division one midweek premiership team are in the regional side.
The carnival’s winning pairs partnership of Ballan’s Amy Draffen and North Ballarat’s Amy Newman will also be staying on four regional tournament, as part of the Ballarat regional side.
They were forced to play a 19th end after the scheduled 18-end final with Echuca pennant premiership skip Roma Opie and her Barham partner Lyn Ashton finished in a draw.
Draffen drew shot with her final bowl to win the title.
Opie and Ashton led four-nil early and then by nine after nine ends of the match. Wins on seven of the next eight ends gave the Ballarat pair a one-shot lead with one scheduled end to play.
Opie drew shot on that end to draw level and force a play-off end.
Draffen and Newman won all but one of their lead up matches, a great result considering they had never played together and never been to the country carnival.
Both won their respective club championships this year, while Draffen played with Ballan in its winning grand final team.
Draffen said the pair would be playing in the same four during the regional sides championships.
“We had to extend our stay, and change accommodation, because we only booked until Tuesday.
Draffen and Newman, playing with Sarah Braybrook and Loris Gullock, were beaten in the fours knockout stage by Stephenson’s Moama foursome.
• Stephenson and her team were brilliant early in the final, leading 8-nil after four ends.
Their opposition, Janis Parks from Wonthaggi, Caroline Donohue, Carol Hughes and Jan Jeeves, responded by winning all but one of the next six ends — including a pair of three shot hauls — to lead by one after 10 ends of the 16-end final.
That was where the run stopped for the Wonthaggi team, Stephenson and her rink winning all four remaining ends and taking a 17-10 victory.
Full details of the region sides event will be inside the pages of Monday’s GAME ON.
