For the Sixth Time
Mixed champions
for the sixth time
JACK and Iris Kampel (pictured) won the Double Bay Mixed Pairs Championship for the sixth time when they scored a 23-20 win over Mark Sack and Karen Levinson in the delayed 2013 final on Sunday, April 20.
The result capped a great year for Jack Kampel, who in 2013,skipped the winning Open Triples and Fours teams and was runner-up in the Major and Handicap Singles.
FOURTEEN of the past 17Double Bay Bowling Club’s Mixed Pairs titles have been won by husband and wife teams.
Since 1996, five married couples have taken out the championship on 14 occasions, staring with Rob and Jan Hutchinswho won the event four times from 1996 to 1999 and finishing last Sunday, April 20, when Jack and Iris Kampel won the delayed 2013 event.
Eight of the 13 entries for the 2013 title were married couples.
The most successful wedded winnersare Jack and Iris Kampel, who have now collected the spoils six times -2002, 2004 and a hat-trick from 2008 to 2010 and in 2013.
Gerald and Audrey Weinbergwere successful in 2011 and 2012, while in 2003 Ken and Jen Wallis were the winners.
Barrie and Carole Brickman won from another married couple, Sam and Lily Brickin 2005.
Married teams have also been runners-up.Harry and Gail Black lost to the Weinbergs in 2011, while the Weinbergs were beaten in the 2004 and 2009 finals by the Kampels, who succumbed to James Cook and Karen Levinsonin the 2007 decider.
The event was not staged in 2000, when Double Bay merged with the Rose Bay Club.
THE final of last year’s Mixed Pairs title, delayed for one-reason or anotherfor four months, provideda myriad of lawn bowlsshots in adrawn outgame between Jackand Iris Kampel and Mark Sack and Karen Levinson on Sunday, April 20, 2014.
It was a replay of the 2010 Mixed Pairs final when the event was contested for the first and only time,as three-set tournament.
Then the Kampels won in straight sets 18-5 and 11-10.
In last Sunday’s final the Kampels won a near four-hour marathon by23-20.
As it has become a custom at Double Bay, the Mixed Pairs event has spread from the end of one year into the next.The 2010 final was played in January 2011, while the 2011 event was also decided in January of the following year as was the 2012 title. The 2013 competition was still at the first round stage in January this year.
However, for the Kampels it was worth the wait, as they were in early command over Sack and Levinson leading 8-2 when seven ends had been decided. Then there was a drastic turnaround on the eighth end.
Jack Kampel wastwo down and opted for a drive to retrieve the situation,only to see his delivery ricochet off the target and remove all his team’s bowls from the head for a six down count which levelled the match at 8-all.
Buoyed, Sack and Levinson took control over the following ends adding eight shotsto have the Kampels reeling at9-16after 12 ends.
In typical Kampel fashion, Jack steadied to gradually regain the offensive.
On the 15th end the scores were square at 15-15 then the Kampels went ahead 17-16 on the next setting the scene for a crucial 17th end. This was when the tide turned as the Kampels picked up four shots to regain the advantage at 21-16.
Sack pulled back one shot on the 18th, but Kampel followed by a two count to be a near the title at 23-17.
Their opponents did not surrender without another fight by adding two shots on 20th anda single shot on the 21st end for a 23-20 result.
Although the match lead fluctuated from team-to-team, the Kampels’ dominance was reflected in the fact that their challengers scored only on eight of the 21 ends, which included one six count, one of four and another of three shots.
Karen Levinson is a two-time winner of the Mixed Pairs at Double Bay when she partnered James Cook to win the events in 2007 from Jack and Iris Kampel, and in 2006 when they defeated Barbara Shotland and John Rosen.
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DOUBLE Bay Women’s Club will have one team in this year’s Region 13 Playoffs following a rain delayed win over Matraville last Thursday.
The club competed in threegrades of the 2014 Eastern Suburbs District’s Pennants with the top performance coming from the Pennant 2 side which defeated Matraville last to qualify for the Regional matches at the EPB Sports Club on June 17-18.
The District did not cater for Grade 1 the division dominated by Double Bay in recent years. The District made this decision following a NSW Women’s Bowling Association agreementtoallowaffiliated Districts to formulate a new Pennant structure.
ThewholePennantformatwaschangedthisyearasDistrictshad theopportunitytodecide on the grading set-up. They weregivenafour-yearmoratoriumto choose theirpennantgradesand then decide to regress or elevate according to the results.
Clubs from theEastern Suburbsvotednot to have aNo.1pennantscompetition making theNo. 2pennants the topgrade in the District.
Players’ unavailability “headache” for selectors
DOUBLE Bay’s Grade 2 District win had as many off field dramas as it did on the green. The club’s selection panel, headed by Iris Kampel,knew from the onset that skipper, Pam Stein, would not be available for the two last matches and Lorraine Becker would miss the final match on Thursday, April 10. CONTINUES NEXT PAGE
Early planning paves
way for pennant win
Iris Kampel told Double Bay Watch this week that early planning by the selectors was important as key players had to be promoted from the Pennant 3 and 4teams.
First selection for the Grade 2 squad was Marie Thatcher, Barbara Shur,Iris Kampel,Barbara Shotland, Gail Black, Karen Levinson,Lorraine Becker andPam Stein. This followed news that Jenny Welton, due to major foot surgery, had robbed the side of a key player and, at the best she would be considered only a “a long shot”for the final game.
By the time the third match was due Lorraine McLaughlin was substituted for the absent Pam Stein
Two days before the vital, pennant-deciding April 10 clash with MatravilleWelton informed selectors that, after playing 18 ends of social bowls, her foot did not give her any concern and she was included in the line-up.
More drama was to follow when skip, Barbara Shotland,warned she might have to attend a funeral on April 10. However, this turned out to be afalse alarm when the service was announced for a day later.
The April 10 match started under gloomy skies and after one rink had played 14 ends and the other 12 it was halted due to heavy showers. Double Bay was nine shots ahead on the aggregate board and was keen to continue, but the Matraville players insisted that they could not return to the green, compelling officialsto schedulethe restart for the following Thursday.
The selectors’ headaches did not stop then. The afternoon before the restart they received a SMS from Marie Thatcher saying that she has a sore throat and “feltfluey” and asked if was there was a reserveavailable. Pat Bryant was again alerted to be on standby.
Early Thursday Kampelwaited anxiously for her phone to ring, but by 8 o’clock she concluded that Thatcher had made an overnight recovery and was keen to play.The sun was out for the restart and Double Bay continued its good form easily taking one rink when the side of Gail Black,Jenny Welton,Karen Levinson and Lorraine McLaughlinset the pace with a 21-9 win, while the rink of Marie Thatcher, Barbara Shur, Iris Kampeland Barbara Shotland missed by one shot (16/17).
Overall, it was solid enough for Double Bay to gain a place in the Regionals with acollect of four points to Matraville’s one. The rink win is worth one point and three is added for the 11-shot (37-26) aggregate.
GRADE 3 AND 4 RESULTS AND PICTURES NEXT ISSUE
DOUBLE BAY WATCH, APRIL 22, 2014Page 1