MAKING a good start will be vital to Mark Pennings' hopes of winning the President's Singles State championship when play starts next Wednesday at Ettalong Memorial Bowling Club.
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Pennings will meet David Badger from Kurrajong in the opening round of the State playoffs. The competition is restricted to players graded in pennants five and down. Pennings played with Taree Leagues No 5s in the Manning District pennants this year. Two games are planned for Wednesday with the finals to be decided on the Thursday. However, one loss spells the end of the campaign.
Pennings, already the district and zone champion, is also the Manning River Times-Iguana Sportstar of the Week, earning a $50 open order at Iguana.
Pennings concedes that his slow start to singles matches is a concern.
"I've been working hard on it, getting advice from heaps of blokes like Jim Sherrett,'' he said.
Pennings doesn't think nerves is a factor. Just the opposite, in fact.
"I think I'm too relaxed,'' he said.
"I just seem to think that I can make up the ground if I start badly. But it's a bad habit and I'll have to address it if I'm going to do any good at this level.''
He prefers singles.
"I'd like to play more (singles),'' he said.
He's a member of the Leagues side that is currently involved in the State-wide Blue Challenge and says he's had a couple of good wins there as a buildup to the State playoffs.
"In the team games if I'm playing badly then we all have a problem. In singles it's up to me to work it out for myself.''
Pennings has been spending plenty of time on the green both playing and rolling up since winning the zone championship and he believes he's as ready as he'll ever be. He won the district title two years ago but was unable to go to zone because of a health issue. He retained his district championship this year so he could have another crack at the zone and then the State crown.
However, he says this will be his last chance in the event. He's hoping to gain a place in the Leagues No 1 team in 2015 as a lead and this will make him ineligible for the president's singles.
"That's my ambition - to play in the ones,'' he said.
"Hopefully I'll get the opportunity next year.''
As is the case in bowls there's been a steady flow of players from one club to another as clubs look to the 2015 pennants.
However, Pennings assures he'll be staying with Leagues.
"They're a good bunch of blokes out there. I'm not going anywhere,'' he said.
