Skill, determination, and sportsmanship were seen on the greens when the 16 top men and women in the province competed in the Northern Cape Bowls (NCB) Singles Championships.
This event hosted over the past weekend at the Beaconsfield Park Bowling Club and the Sol Plaatje West End Bowls Club in Kimberley saw Marietjie van den Berg from Upington securing her third consecutive title in the women’s finals, with CP Mathewson from Kimberley clinching the men’s title.
In the women’s final, Van den Berg faced off against Susan Leeuwner from Upington, while Mathewson took on Le Roux Fourie from Upington.
Husband and wife Quintin and Liezl Kock from Hanover finished in the third place.
In a highly anticipated women’ final, Van den
Berg faced off against Leeuwner in what turned out to be a repeat of the
Kalahari Sub-District finals. Once again, Van den Berg proved to be too strong for Leeuwner, showcasing her class and consistency to claim the NCB Singles
Championship for the third consecutive year, which is a truly remarkable achievement.
On the men’s side, Mathewson took on Fourie in a
final that had spectators on the edge of their seats. Fourie had a challenging
start to the tournament, losing his first sectional game but managing to bounce
back with threw solid wins to claim his spot in the final. Mathewson, on the other
hand, had an outstanding run, making it to the final without losing a single
game.
The final was a tightly contested match, with both players
displaying incredible drawing ability. However, it was Mathewson’s attacking game that
ultimately gave him the upper hand, securing the victory and the title of
NCB Singles Champion for 2025.
NCB president, Braam van der Westhuizen, believes there are more players with potential in the province who need to test their skills on the greens. He is confident that the sport will grow amongst old and young.
Several tournaments await players, including the fours, interdistrict, U18, U25 and masters tournaments.
Mathewson will represent the province on the national stage at the Bowls South Africa Masters Championship next weekend.
– Driaan van Niekerk; Braam van der Westhuizen
