Victorians’ starring rolls on the green
VICTORIA hosted the 12th Maccabi AJAX Lawn Bowls Carnival over the New Year period and the local side cleaned up at the tournament, winning three out of the four events at the Armadale Bowls Club.
VICTORIA hosted the 12th Maccabi AJAX Lawn Bowls Carnival over the New Year period and the local side cleaned up at the tournament, winning three out of the four events at the Armadale Bowls Club.
“It was one of the best carnivals yet,” organiser Joe Aarons told The AJN. “The catering, the social events and the standard of play was the highest it’s been.”
The week-long carnival began with a special candle-lighting in memory of Warren Zines, who passed away in the bridge disaster at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
When play got underway, it was the hosts who burst out of the blocks, dominating rival sides New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.
The Victorian team won the men’s State Shield and was forced to share the women’s State Shield with NSW.
In the men’s pairs competition, local stars Dan Mars and Paul Kurta were too good for the composite team from WA and SA in the final, with a second Victorian team taking out bronze.
The NSW pair of Dafna Orbach and Rayna Rosenberg were able to topple the two Victorians on their way to a gold medal, making them the only interstate team to defeat the hosts.
The Victorian men continued their dominance in the fours, with Steve Rubenstein, Michael Yelen, Les Gerber and Elliot Rabinov taking gold, while the second home team won bronze, and NSW came away with silver.
Rochelle Hyams, Vivienne Sokol, Helen Weiss and Marilyn Faiman were able to get Victoria over the line in the decider against NSW in the women’s fours.
Two locals also picked up awards, with Kurta taking out the Jack Brandon Award for the best personality and young gun Rabinov winning the Reuben Steinberg Memorial Award for the best newcomer.
New South Welshman Joe Morris won the Warren Zines Award for the mensch of the tournament, while Weiss was named the Queen of the Carnival.
AJN Staff
Photo: Norman Weiss
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