CHERYL WATERMAN

The battles on the Inter-District greens in Johannesburg, Cape Town and East London are over, and the Port Natal Bowls teams have returned home, three triumphantly bearing well-earned medals.

The district’s undisputed stars of the Inter-District tournaments were the Ladies Veteran team, who, competing in Cape Town, delivered masterful performances to secure their second consecutive gold medal.

Dominating their section, Minnette Hatton-Jones, who skipped Gail Jennings, Linda Didlick and Anji Valjee, joined forces with Sarie Bisset’s side of Claire Murray, Lesley Levy and Susan Smith to face Gauteng North in the final.

Displaying the confidence and composure of true champions, the ladies asserted their dominance, with both sides winning the crucial final games, securing 10 of the available 12 points to reclaim their title.

Team manager Maria Dreyer, who recently stepped down after an impressive 18 years of district representation and was part of the victorious 2024 team, lauded the squad for their consistency throughout the tournament and for achieving consecutive gold medals – an historic achievement for Port Natal Bowls.

She also commended the three new caps, who adapted seamlessly and played a crucial role in the squad’s success.

Dreyer extended the team’s appreciation to Western Province Bowls for their exceptional tournament organisation.

“Everything ran like clockwork, and each club we played at hosted us with efficient grace,” she remarked.

Port Natal’s success extended beyond the Veterans’ division, with two additional bronze medals secured.

The Men’s Open B team – consisting of Chris Strover, Gerhard Beukes, Matthew Mayo, Jarryd Ramsden, Warren van der Sloot, Keegan Bauristhene, Bonga Ngaka and Greg Scott – finished second on their log, earning them well-deserved bronze medals.

The Ladies Open A team also returned with bronze medals. Heading into the ninth and final round in second place, they faced log leaders Western Province in a high-stakes encounter.

The PNB ladies put up a determined fight, securing seven of the available 12 points, shortening the gap between them and WP.

However, it was not enough to claim the top spot and progress to the gold and silver playoff.

Nevertheless, the team – comprising Susan Nel, Glenda Mathews, Cheryl Mostert, Michelle Gerber, Talia Russon, Debbie de Kock, Natalie Botha and Shan Trimborn – earned their place on the podium with pride.

In other results, the Open Men’s A team finished fourth in their section, while the Women’s Open B team, the defending 2024 champions, ended their campaign with a sectional fifth place.

The Veteran Men’s team concluded sectional play in third position.

Given the high standard of play and the presence of Protea bowlers in several district teams, Port Natal can take immense pride in their representatives’ accomplishments.

Now, attention shifts to the next generation, as the Under-18 and Under-25 squads prepare to travel to Bloemfontein for the Bowls SA Junior Nationals scheduled to be played from March 29 to April 1.

The future of Port Natal Bowls looks bright indeed.

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