Rhoanna Smith and Laurie McDonald are this season’s Wangaratta Bowls Club singles champions after winning their respective finals on Saturday afternoon. Smith defeated reigning singles champion Jan Hermassoo to win her first club singles title. Hermassoo held a slight lead early in proceedings, but Smith continued to apply the pressure and gained the ascendency through the middle stages of the contest. Hermassoo continued to try and put more pressure on, however Smith was able to keep her momentum in the race to 25 shots, winning her first title 25-15. The race for the men’s championship started earlier in the day with semi-finals action following earlier rounds in November. McDonald won his way through to the final with a semi-final win over Greg Braden, 25-10, while the other semi was won by Maurie Braden over Gary Fenlon, 25-6. The final remained tight through much of the match with the lead changing multiple times before McDonald broke away to hold an eight-shot advantage. However, the game was far from over, as Braden reduced the margin back to just two shots, 21-23. McDonald won the title on the next end as he gained the two shots he needed for victory, winning 25-21. Smith and McDonald will represent Wangaratta in the O&M Champion of Champions event, to be held in February.
