THERE were two very competitive games played at the weekend in the first round of Wellington Bowling Club's Open Indoor Singles Competition.

Darren Sparks and Ernie Windsor were involved in an incredibly close match and they could hardly be separated from start to finish.

After 21 ends they were level on 16 shots each. With one more to play they were still level at 18 – 18. In the last, Darren managed to score a vital three shots to win it overall by 21 to Ernie's 18. Darren deserved to win the game but both played very well.

In the second game, two of the club's very capable and experienced bowlers, Phil Ellis and Tony Gibson, played against one another.

Tony led after two ends by six shots to nil but after that Phil picked up the pace and moved steadily ahead to win overall by 22 shots to 11.

It was a very good game to watch and was enjoyed by players and spectators alike. Phil deserved to go through to the next round but Tony played his part before eventually losing out to the better player on the day.