Australian Champions: (from left) Peter Bobrige, Dave Caldwell and Tony Crammond stand in front of the huge scoreboard with their $9000 winner’s cheque.
THE Huskisson Men’s Bowling Club only has 45 active bowling members, but Peter Bobrige, Dave Caldwell and Tony Crammond proved it is bursting with talent. The trio claimed one of the country’s most prestigious team bowling crowns, the Australian Open Triples title.
The local trio swept all before them at the Darebin Bowling Club in Victoria working their way into the final after defeating some of the best triples teams from around the country.
With an underdog tag weighing heavily around their neck, Bobrige, Caldwell and Crammond started their final against the more fancied Merrylands Bowling Club nervously, but soon found their form to claim the first game 8-6.
Led by South African international Neil Burkett, the Merrylands team stormed back in the second game to post a dominant 11-2 victory, forcing the championship to a third and deciding game.
In front of a huge gallery, Bobrige, Caldwell and Crammond got off to a flyer in the decider, showing their opposition a clean pair of heels to pull out an unbeatable 7-nil lead and claim the title.
Back home at the Huskisson Bowling Club the win created scenes of jubilation among the huge crowd that had packed around a small TV screen to watch the final.
“The game was streamed live online and we had the PC connected to the world’s smallest television,” laughed Huskisson Bowling Club publicity officer Paul Winchester.
“After the boys won the morning semi-final word spread like wildfire through the bush telegraph and we ended up with a huge crowd at the club in the afternoon all crowded around the little screen.”
Speaking after the match an elated Peter Bobrige said there had been a few close shaves on the way to the final.
“In the semi-final I needed to use my last bowl of the game to win the match,” he said.
“Even our first game was against the current Australian bowler of the year, but I was determined not to come all this way to get knocked out in the first round.”
Bobrige said the tactics employed during the second game set up the win.
“When I knew we couldn’t win the second game I told the boys to get back to playing the way we had done throughout the competition and use the remainder of the game to find their lines.
“We did that and won the third and deciding game convincingly.”