IF PLAYING for the Portland RSL Memorial Bowling Club was a top honour for Gerry Watt and Ron Robinson, taking out the Des Notley Classic Pairs tournament was the ultimate reward.
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The Portland duo combined to win the prestigious pairs tournament at the City Memorial Bowls Club on Thursday.
In a hard-fought contest, Watt and Robinson united to post a total of 104 shots on the back of a 10-point total to win.
Watt, a veteran of seven Des Notley Classic Pairs events, said he was thrilled to take out the tournament with a long-time playing partner.
“You come to win, but it doesn’t always work out that way. You come for friendship, good bowls, and to enjoy the company. The win is a bonus,” he said.
“I come to be competitive, and if you’re the most competitive, you end up winning. If you don’t, you have to be gracious when you lose.
“You come over to represent your club and to win something like this is fantastic. It’s a privilege and a hell of a feeling to see your name at the top of a board that has so many players on it.”
Watt said his Portland RSL Memorial Bowling Club’s Saturday pennant side was enjoying a solid year in the Far Western District Bowls Division.
Robinson, who has been travelling to Warrnambool to participate in the tournament for the past four years, lauded it as an enjoyable experience.
He said the social aspect of the tournament was unlike any other he played in.
“The comradeship and the people you meet on the green are just fabulous,” he said. “You know how tough the opposition here is, there are super level, even state level participants going around which are very tough to play against.
“I think sometimes you can get a reasonable draw and that can sometimes be enough to get you over the line. But you still have to beat your opponents.”
Watt and Robinson won their opening fixture but one shot, and managed to claim victory in all but one of their six games overall.
The pair admitted their final game of the tournament, played on Thursday afternoon, was among the most tough of the fixtures.
“Everyone wants to have their name at the top of the board,” Robinson said.
“The conditions were a little bit tough there. The first game was very tough though. We were two bowls down and I had the last end, but luckily we were able to get the job done.
“It’s unique. It’s something that you definitely don’t expect, put it that way. Gerry got us through, and I managed to back him up with a few shots.”
More than 40 teams, travelling from as far away as Darwin, converged to play at the annual tournament on Wednesday and Thursday.