With the pair due to join forces with Katrina Wright during this afternoon’s women’s triples championship decider, Mitchell and Crouche ensured they would walk away with at least one winners’ cheque as they accounted for Millmerrien’s Maree Gibbs and Caloundra RSL’s Jane Bush in a see-sawing affair.
During an enthralling encounter, the Queensland duo, who had the Bribie Island crowd firmly behind them, clinched 12 of the 21 ends contested, but were still unable to topple their Southern rivals.
In the opening set, Mitchell and Crouche began well with an early single, but Gibbs and Bush countered as they claimed three shots over the next two ends to open a tidy buffer before the momentum swung dramatically.
With the Queenslanders holding shot on the fifth end, Crouche unleashed a ferocious drive to clear out the head and when the dust settled, she was left holding four.
On the very next end, Crouche repeated the dose to secure a double and all of a sudden the grand prix regulars held a 7-3 lead.
While Gibbs and Bush countered over the next three ends, jumping to a 9-7 advantage, a treble on the final end gave Mitchell and Crouche the opening set.
With momentum firmly behind them, Mitchell and Crouche then secured a double on the opening end of the second to have the title at their mercy, but Gibbs and Bush were far from done.
Despite some heavy hitting from their opponents, the experienced duo played some delightful bowls, demonstrating their obvious class over the next eight ends to force a tie-breaker.
With the final on the line, neither team could not be slit through two ends, but some straight shooting from Mitchell, which was well backed up by Crouche, gave them a hard fought 10-9, 4-8, 4-1 victory.
Women’s Pairs Final
Lisa Mitchell and Corinne Crouche (NSW) bt Maree Gibbs and Jane Bush (QLD) 10-9, 4-8, 4-1
