Young Guns Defeated

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday January 6, 2009

By JOEL RITCHIE

EXPERIENCE trumped enthusiasm when Shane Garvey's team defeated a side skipped by Geoff McGillivray in the South Pacific Bowls carnival fours final yesterday.

Garvey's outfit - including Anthony Moran, singles final contestant Matt Pietersen and Mick Harry - defeated McGillivray, Kyle Johannes, 15, and 16-year-olds Aaron Spears and Michael Bayo 25-12 at Albion Park.

The triumph meant Garvey has won seven South Pacific titles from nine finals - a figure he can add to today when he teams with Moran against Troy Somerville and John Hills in the pairs final.

Meantime, McGillivray and his young outfit had to settle for their second fours runner-up finish in as many South Pacific carnivals after losing last year.

Garvey was pleased to win his third South Pacific fours crown and first since 2006. The four-time player of the carnival also has three singles and one pairs title.

The decisive moment came when Garvey and his crew pulled away when they were leading 14-12 after 15 ends, the more experienced duo scored a further 11 unanswered shots to seal the title.

Garvey hinted that his side's advantage in experience gave them the edge in a clutch situation.

"That's what it was - the last six ends if we won them we'd win the game. We got a three and a four and another three and that was it," Garvey said. "We could have been 10 behind after the first five or six ends."

Garvey was impressed by the young Warilla brigade's collective effort.

"They were impressive. I said to Geoff and Eric (Johannes) that they should be proud of them - there's no big heads among them," he said. "They gave us a really good tussle early. You've got to be impressed. These kids are down to earth and they are into their bowls."

McGillivray said Garvey was the difference between the two sides.

"My boys outdid the other three man-to-man and Garvey was the difference," McGillivray said. "We had the shots and they played gems. Garvey would have flogged anybody else and we hung in there. Garvey's conversions - that was it. He won it and when he's on, he's awesome."

Earlier in the day, Dapto Citizens combination Troy Somerville and John Hills ended John Green and Matt Sargeant's three-year reign as South Pacific pairs champions with a come-from-behind 17-15 win in the semi-final.

The Dapto Citizens duo had never before teamed in a pairs competition. They were behind 14-7 before scoring 10 shots to one down the stretch to break Sargeant and Green's South Pacific pairs domination, which started in 2006.

"Its great, especially being the 50th anniversary - that was the whole reason for me coming back into the tournament," Somerville said. "This is our first tournament together, so we're pretty rapt to get this far."

Sargeant predicted Somerville and Hills would defeat Garvey and Moran today.

Corrimal's Ernie Martin, Albert Poole, Tom Brown and Bill Todd became the tournament's second senior fours champion when they defeated Woonona's Noel Pitman, Warren Jeffrey, Dennis Ryan and Geoff Clinton 18-16 in the final.

© 2009 Illawarra Mercury

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