In the senior Pairs event which we were fortunate enough to Host Phil Harding and Steve Buttsworth won both their matches on Saturday, but ran into a red Hot “Mobbsy” and Co in Sunday mornings semi-final going down by only a couple of shots though, good effort that.

The next Zone event is on in a couple of weeks with the Singles Championships and once again Narromine will host a section of this event. 

This time it will be the Open Division, and so we should she some first class action that Saturday, February 16. As usual with Singles we will require markers and if any member can help out with this job, please see Kevin or myself sometime this week and we will reserve a spot for you.

Also on the February 16 we will be hosting a visitation from the East Maitland Travelling Bowlers) and to date not too many names appear on the Nominations Sheets for the Social Bowls outings we will be conducting in conjunction with this visitation.

The nomination sheet for both Games has been posted on the notice board and with the weather in mind the Saturday afternoon Fixture will commence at 4pm and will be timed to finish around 6.30pm. 

Sunday Morning tradition Chook run gives way to another social bowls foray which again has a different starting time than Norm, so if you’re a mind to join in with visitors Pleas put your name down on either or both sheets:

On February 16 in conjunction with the visitation we will be hosting a “Monster” Meat Raffle at 7pm. Some 50 meat trays and a couple of other “Goodies” have been donated by the visitors with all monies raised going to the Local Drought Cause.

Kat’s Karaoke will also be providing live music that Saturday night, so even if you are not playing bowls with the visitors, there is something for all members to participate in or simply come along and have a night out up at the “Bowly”.

Narromine will be having a Pennant Trial against West Dubbo on February 10, yes that’s this Sunday. The Selectors have put together a squad from those players who are available and therefore these teams are probably nowhere near our First Round Squads. So if you are playing in what you think isn’t your normal team or position you are probably right, “cause it’s only a trial”.

All players selected are asked to verify their availability by “ticking their name, including any listed reserves” If you are now not available please advise either Kevin Rider or Robert French ASAP, so they can “slot” someone else in. Also if you are now available please put your name on the reserve list in case you are required.  

The Selected Squads are Team one: Kevin Rider, Ben Clark, Sam Crook, Robert French, Team two: Adam Jermyn, Steve Riley, John Edwards, Aaron Hutchison, Team three: Peter Cross, Don Sullivan, Terry McDonald, Aaron Clark, Team four: Puddy Gillespie, Phil Harding, Ross Edden, Boppa Daley, Team five: Kerry Martin, Danny Carnevale, Steve Buttsworth, Peter Payne   

This week’s Social Bowls saw 14 turn up on Thursday, with the days winners namely Kerry Martin, Richard Hynds and Aaron Clark collect the Meat Trays, with Des Lincoln and Matt Goodwin garnering a Bottle of Beer for their efforts. Sunday morning’s chook run attracted eight keen Chappies, which resulted in Lionel Ayoub and Peter Payne getting all the cash on offer:

Nominations for the “A” Singles close shortly, and to date the numbers aren’t too bad, but we could always use more. Draw for the Consistency Singles was completed on Sunday morning By R French and K Rider and although we have a small field its of a pretty good quality with a number of former and current Club Champions having a go.

Unfortunately the proposed starting date for this event may have to be delayed a week or two owing to the Pennant Trial, The Visitation and the Zone Singles all taking precedence over Club Consistency Singles.

Norman Bohm

Last Tuesday we had 75 starters in the Business House Comp with the best team score coming from the Gerries with a great score of  91 points. They managed to thrash the Phantoms.

Best individual scores were Bob Fletcher 26, Chris Samuels 26, Michael Treseder 24, best wishes, Mal Richardson 23, Col Shepherdson 22, Shane Wallace 22, Greg Wallace 22, Dale Harding 22, George Mack 22, John Butcher 22, Bob Walsh 22, Andrew Mann 22.

Nearest the pins were Robert Handsaker ninth, Bruce Mitchell tenth, and Wendy Jeffery 17^th. On Saturday we had fifteen starters in an Irish Stableford. It was one of the lowest scoring games this season.

Three teams scored 64 points with the winners being decided on a count-back. Tony Harding and Ben Rush were the winners followed by Chris and Tony Harding. Third placing went to Tony Mann and Bud Cape. Nearest the pins went to Matt Gainsford ninth and Tony Harding on the tenth.

On Sunday there were seventeen starters in a 4BBB  sponsored by the Narromine Golf Club.  The winners were Greg Barling and Chris Harding with 46 points and the runners up were Neil Haley and Mal McIntyre with 45  points. In third spot were Greg Barling and Josh Coen with 45 points.

The nearest the pins were won by Tony Mann ninth and Mal McIntyre tenth. On Saturday we have a 4B Aggregate and on Sunday we have the Volkswagon Scramble a four person Ambrose lunch at 12noon.

Chris Harding / Josh Coen

Win for Halbisch! Last Saturday 15 players fronted up for the weekly Gerries Competition.Once again the competition was played on the combined format due to the shortage of numbers,6 women and 9 men.Conditions early were quite pleasant but it did warm up during the course of play.

Winner on the day was Viv Halbisch with a score of 22 stableford points.Well done Viv,you sure did clean up those blokes.Two fellows Chris Harding and Mal Richardson tied for second on 21 points with Harding winning the count back to take second place.No NTP was won by either division and they jackpot to next week.The NAGA prize went to Bob Fletcher on 11 points and he is lucky because the rules have been changed and he gets 2 shots back on his handicap.

Once again there was no Pool comp however it is rumoured Terry declared himself the weeks champion as he said no one wanted to play him.However when a challenge was lodged he declined saying it was not legal as the challenger did not play golf. Next Saturday the comp will be on again at the usual time of 9am with the girls on the front and the blokes on the back. See you all on the tee.

Norman Lewis

As a two-time winner of the Country Championships’ Western Districts heat, Justin Stanley knows what to expect during one of the biggest days on the Dubbo Turf Club calendar.

And heading into this weekend’s edition of the race, Stanley anticipates his biggest challenge yet.

The Dubbo-based trainer has won the rich qualifier with Something Borrowed and Good Host previously and this year he will have four shots at glory.

There were 18 nominations in total for Sunday’s $150,000 race, which sees the first two past the post head to $500,000 Country Championships Final at Royal Randwick on April 6.

“I think this is one of the strongest heats we’ve had,” Stanley said after nominations were released.

“But (I’ve got) everything going to plan and they're probably as good as I could have them and all should be there in the final on Sunday.”

Defending western area champion Good Host is back after limited racing in the past year, while Stanley’s other contenders are The Rouseabout, Get To The Chopper, and Coroglen.

The latter’s lower rating means he appears the only one who may miss the final field of 14, which will be released on Thursday.

A Martin Placepick headlines the nominations, the gelding from the Coonamble stables of Cecil Hodgson having scored four wins and two seconds in his past six starts.

Stanley hasn’t been the only one to name the six-year-old as the one to beat, but he also singled out Allan Gibson’s California Fox and Rodney Robb’s quartet as ones to watch.

Nyngan-based larrikin Robb put forward Thermosa, Mango Liston, Huang Zhong, and Thermosa while Dubbo’s Clint Lundholm has three hopes in the form of Sprezzatura, Sons Of Bourke, and Ben Shoof.

Stanley’s build-up to Sunday’s event started last April, with Good Host tipped out for a lengthy spell almost immediately after running 12th in the rich final at Randwick.

The plan was always for him to have a second crack at the series while the likes of The Rouseabout and Get To The Chopper have also shown enough promise early in their career to have Stanley in a positive frame of mind.

“We’re where we want to be,” he said after months of work to get to this stage.

The confidence may be there and he may know what to expect on Sunday after contesting in each of the previous four Country Championships campaigns, but that doesn’t mean this week will be easy for Stanley.

The nominations are in but the experienced Stanley, who’s based at Dubbo but works his horses at Narromine, knows as well as anyone a week is a long time in racing.

Especially when you’re racing for the chance to take part in a $500,00 event at Royal Randwick.

“It’s really stressful and flat out,” he said of the week leading into the heat.

“You’re trying to do all you can but you don’t want to do anything wrong. Its nerve-wracking, especially on race day when you just hope it pans out.”

The eight-race showcase meeting, which has prizemoney rising to a minimum of $30,000 per race, received 172 nominations in total.

“We will be celebrating the finer things in life with a big day for fashions and racing, with the launch of the 2019 Fashions on the Field Series,” Dubbo Turf Club general manager Vince Gordon said.

​Nick Guthrie

They make ‘em tough out west at Nyngan and Mango Liston two days after finishing second to stablemate Dead Reckoning at Parkes ( TAB ) backed up to win the feature event at Geurie Picnics on Saturday. Trained by Rodney Robb for his wife Wendy Robb and the secretary of Nyngan Jockey Club who is also named Wendy Robb, the four year old gelding Mango Liston was ridden by south coast based Maddison Wright.

Taken straight to the front Mango Liston ( $2.70 favourite ) won the  Friends and Family Of The late Bernie Wilkins Geurie Picnic Cup ( 1400 metres ) by nearly four lengths from Dame Largo ( Michael Hackett, $6 ) and Bel Attrait ( Michael Wade, $4 ).

Champion jockey Hugh Bowman the rider of superstar galloper Winx was a surprise visitor to Geurie Picnics to see his parents horse Free Ticket finish fifth in the Cup. Earning valuable qualifying points from the Geurie win, Mango Liston is likely to make the field for the $50,000 Picnic Championship Final at Dubbo in September.

Mango Liston was one of  four winners at Geurie for Rodney Robb, the others being Rainbow Game ( $6 to $5 ) bred and raced by Dennis Todd from Baradine, Madison Gardens ( $2.60 fav.) owned by Val Wray and Janette Thorpe  from Nyngan and Huang Zhong ( $1.80 ) raced by Wayne Brown from the Hunter region.

Ridge Wilson from Inverell rode Rainbows Game and Madison  Gardens while Maddison Wright was aboard Huang Zhong which was joined in the lead on the hometurn and fought hard for a half head win over Magic Moa ( Ridge Wilson,$8 ) in the 1600 metres Pickles Class B Handicap.

The first leg of a treble for Maddison Wright was the Greg O’Neill, Nyngan trained Marpenny ( $2.50 to $2.30 fav.) an all the way winner of the Chad Wool Maiden Plate ( 1000 metres ) by almost five lengths  from Have’nt We All ( Alan Barton, $3 ) and Teridgerie Waters ( Michael Wade, $12 ). The only winner not coming from Nyngan was the Debbie Prest, Cootamundra trained Timeless Melody, in the 1000 metres Think Water Outwest Class B Handicap.

Well clear turning for home, Timeless Melody ( Jody Hughes,$3.20 ). held on to beat the fast finishing Spud ( Michael Wade, $7 ) with Clarion ( Maddison Wright, $2.60 fav.) in third place. 

Colin Hodges