WHILE Ashfield’s Phil Westcott is the man tipped to skip his team to a third consecutive Carillon Fours title tomorrow, a host of strong local outfits are keen to deny him in the biggest event on the Bathurst City Bowling Club calendar.
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The annual event offers a purse of $10,000 and, as such, draws bowlers from across the state – including Westcott.
Last year, his team, which included Richard Lawson, Terry Pappas and Mark Alexander, won all but one of their games by more than 10 shots.
“We were down 0-7 in our second game, but we brought that one back. That was the only time we were tested,” Westcott said.
“We were blessed with a reasonable draw, but you still have to play well.”
It made it back-to-back titles for Westcott and Belconnen-based Lawson, and according to one of this year’s tournament organisers, Neville Townsend, the visitors shape as the favourites in 2014.
“The obvious favourite is a team skipped by Phil Westcott of Sydney, who has won the tournament for the last two years,” Townsend said.
“But he will face stiff competition from Cabramatta, Kemps Creek, Carlingford and a number of local teams skippered by Bob Hamilton and Steve Carr from Orange City, Peter Naylor from Majellan, Mark Shepherd from Lithgow, and Ross James, Phil Gray and Richard Simpson from Bathurst City.”
Hamilton’s team were unlucky not to win 12 months ago when they went undefeated across the two days of competition, having to settle for second place as Westcott’s team held a 21-shot difference.
Teams will play five games of 15 ends over the course of the weekend – three today and two tomorrow – and while those that Townsend mentioned should be strong performers, they will need to play well given the overall strength of the field the Carillon Fours draws.
Australian representatives were among those who competed last year.
“It’s the biggest tournament we conduct every year and that has been the case since about 1980,” Townsend said.
“This year we have 46 teams competing from the Central West, Central Tablelands, Sydney metro, Central Coast, northern NSW, Newcastle and local teams from Bathurst City and Majellan.
“It is a major drawcard tournament and one of the last big tournaments, with prizemoney of $10,000.
“A lot of people come back year after year. It’s an annual thing for them.”
Townsend thanked Bathurst City Community Club and Bath-urst Real Estate for supporting the tournament.
