TEAMS skippered by Moree brothers Wayne and Rod Tighe battled out a gripping men’s fours NSW Aboriginal Bowls Tournament final at Moree Services Club on Sunday – a hometown derby that went right to the wire.

The eight-end final was level-pegging after six ends, and a desperately unlucky bowl by skipper Rod Tighe gave brother Wayne’s team a narrow win and a big slice of $20,000 prize money.

“Rod played a beautiful bowl but he was just unlucky,” Wayne said.

“The final was a real nail-biter – only one shot the difference. If Rod’s bowl had paid off, he would’ve got two shots and won the game.

“He was just a tad wide – about a bowl wider he would’ve got it. But if you’re going to play someone in the final, it’s good to play your brother,” Wayne smiled.

Wayne, president of the Moree Magpies  bowls club, and lead Paul Adams from Moree, teamed up with Dennis Williams from Glen Innes and Ray Shepherd from Collarenebri to narrowly win the rich final.

Older brother Rod, who organised the carnival with Mitchell Johnson, and lead Phil Hobday from Moree were partnered by Grahame Miller from Dubbo and Nick Blandford from Blayney.

For Rod, a win in the tournament he helped put together was so close.

“We let them back in when we were in front 6-4, and went down by one. The better side won on the day. Wayne and his team played really, really well,” he said.

Winning team-mate Ray Shepherd travelled from Collarenebri to play the game he loves.

“It’s a good feeling – unreal – after all the pressure on a bloke the last two days to keep winning,” he laughed.

“It was a very tight final – very close.”

Phil Hobday received ample consolation for the fours’ loss when teaming up with Dubbo’s Deb Morrow – Wayne and Rod’s sister – to win the inaugural mixed pairs competition on Friday night.

“I teamed up with Deb again. We go back a long way and won the Aboriginal mixed pairs bowls tournament before Covid hit,” Hobday said.

“It hasn’t been played since, so we went into the Moree games as defending champions.

“We went through four games undefeated. It goes back on ends and margins and we had the better for-and-against.

“It was sweet consolation for getting beaten in the final. That was a great game and a good team of blokes to play against. Rod’s last bowl was that close – he was very unlucky,” Hobday said.

Wayne Tighe said the long weekend carnival was a huge success.

“It was a great weekend. Overall, it was a great carnival and I take my hat off to Rod and Mitchell for organising it all. It’s a pretty big event and it’s good for the town,” he said.

Rod Tighe said the carnival has the potential to become one of the biggest in regional New South Wales.

“It has been a big success, and Moree Services Club has given us 1000 per cent support – we’re very happy to host it again next year at the same time,” Rod said.

“There’s a lot of tournaments ahead of us at this time of the year. I spoke with Mitch about it, and this is the date we’ve chosen, so we’ll stick with it.

“We had people come from all over New South Wales, including Lismore, Dubbo, Lightning Ridge, Wagga, Blayney and Molong.

“We really think this carnival can grow, so hopefully we’ll get more sides from more towns, maybe even Sydney.

“We’ve got a lot of Aboriginal bowlers out there, and this carnival promotes our sport even more,” he said.

Moree Services Club CEO Rob Shields said the weekend of bowls and mateship produced perfect results – for the club and the players.

“It’s been a wonderful weekend and it was great to see two local teams in the final – and brothers at that,” Shields said.

“The club and directors are thoroughly please with it all, and it will get bigger and better.

“This is only the second year. The facilities we’ve got are the best in the bush, and were made to host carnivals like this.

“And this is not just about bowls, either; it’s about the people, and bringing them together.

“The carnival will get better and better each year. I’ve got no doubt about that,” he said.