1st @ New South Wales Open

The New South Wales (NSW) Open is one of Australia's hardest event to win in recent years. The condition has been extremly tough and out of the last 6 years a lefty has won it 5 times.

Format:
10 Games qualifying that is then followed by the top 30 playing a further 4 games the next morning. From there the top 15 men have earnt the right to play in a 3 way round robin formatt. 1st on the paid gets a bonus 20, 2nd gets 10 and last gets nothing.

I qualified quite well, coming in 3rd after the 10 games, missed a few spares that i shouldnt of, but over all i felt quite happy with my performance.
The pattern was not quite as tough as previous years but you still had to make great shots.
The bowling centre (AMF Castle Hill Bowl) is fitted with GSX Brunswick machines and pro anvil lane surface, meaning the lanes played much straighter because of the surface and carrying is very hard because of the GSX machines.
If you bowled a 250 plus game, you bowled a great game. Just a little speed or angle of entry variance you left a corner pin for sure.

My good friend George Frilingos was leading by 150 heading into the round robin part of the event.
George is by far the hardest bowler in Australia to beat, he has won 12 national titles and like Tiger Woods, once is in the lead heading into the final day, is extremly hard to catch.

We started the round robin and i knew the only way i was going to catch George was to win as many round robin matches i could, to get the bonus pins and to strike alot.
I did just that, the 7 game round robin saw me average 249, i won 5/7 matches, a tie for 1st in another and 2nd in the other match.
That didnt stop George from doing the same though, George won 4/7 and 2nd in the other 3 matches.
It came down to the last game. On my pair was George and Shaun Cummings. Shaun had injured his left knee and was basically crawling to the line, so that left just me and George in a head to head battle.
I down by 30 or so pins, that meant i needed to beat George by 20 scractch, get my 20 bonus, and that should be enough.

It came down to the 10th frame and the crowd were feeling the presure just as much as we were.
I was up first, threw the ball and threw it bad. Was just way to fast, i just hit the head pin, leaving the 2 pin.........WAIT A MINUTE........ a pin has come from no where and rolled the 2 pin for a strike. "That's one for me" i screamed.
I needed the next one in the 10th to shoot 240 and shut George out. I let it go perfect, i knew it off the hand, the 10 pin the last to fall before a screaming messenger smashed it into the wall. .

I have won the 2007 NSW OPEN.

George, like the sportsman he is shook my hand and gave me a hug and said "great bowling". Not easy to do when you have lead the entire event untill the last frame of the last game.

This was the first national title i have won in my own home state of NSW, so i am extremly happy to break that drought.

I used a T road Solid all weekend and it truly is one of the best balls i have used. It does everything i need it to do.

Till the next event, which i think is in Indonesia in 2 weeks......Be good and keep on rollin!