AND then there were two – Moree hosted the 2026 NSW Aboriginal Bowls Tournament at Moree Services Club at the weekend, with teams from Peak Hill and Gunnedah fighting out a desperately close finish for a slice of the $20,000 prize money pool.

After 18 teams of four from across New South Wales chased big money across two days of gruelling play under stifling conditions, the Sunday afternoon final rested between Peak Hill players Dylan Skinner, Warren Towney, Ricky Read and Cooper Dart, and Sam Pryor, Keith Hubbard, Jake Martin and Cameron Yates playing from Gunnedah.

And it was a run of huge shots from skip Dylan Skinner that saw Peak Hill win the final narrowly but decisively, 8-5 over eight ends.

“That was a nerve-wracking game, and we were lucky to get over the line,” Skinner said.

“The Gunnedah boys are a quality side, and it was neck-and-neck the whole way.

“They got a three on the first end, and we got a three on the second, and that shows the quality of the game,” he said.

Skinner travelled from Campbelltown to link up with Ricky Read, Warren Towney and Cooper Dart, and represent Peak Hill.

“Warren and Ricky are from Peak Hill and Cooper is from Dubbo,” Skinner said.

“The boys are all from around that area and the tournament is a good connection for us to hook up. Warren asked me to play, and I was only too happy to come out here.

“This is my first time in Moree. The facilities are unbelievable, and to have two synthetic greens undercover in Moree, where lawn bowls probably doesn’t have as big a following as other towns, is incredible.

“It’s a fantastic venue, and I’ll definitely be back next year,” Skinner said.

2026 NSW Aboriginal Bowls Tournament finalists (from left) Sam Pryor (Gunnedah), Ricky Read (Peak Hill), Keith Hubbard (Gunnedah), Dylan Skinner (Peak Hill), Jake Martin (Gunnedah), Cooper Dart (Peak Hill), Cameron Yates (Gunnedah) and Warren Towney (Peak Hill), with honours going to Peak Hill.

Gunnedah skip Sam Pryor couldn’t quite build on his 2026 Australian Indoor Singles Lawn Bowls Qualifier win at Moree last week.

His team led the game early yesterday afternoon but couldn’t withstand Peak Hill’s late surge.

“It was a close game,” Pryor said.

“I thought we might have won with the lead we had, but couldn’t win the last four ends.

“The Peak Hill boys came good with consistent bowls and their skip played a couple of big bowls when they needed them.

“It’s disappointing, but there were 18 strong teams playing so to make it this far and be runners-up is a privilege.

“We played against a lot of good people and just to make it this far is an honour,” Pryor said.

Dylan Skinner was awarded Player of the Tournament with 31 points, four clear of Sam Pryor.

Gunnedah’s Jake Martin and Bill Ahoy playing for Armidale shared third spot with 22 points.

Moree’s Mitchell Johnson and Todd Fuller playing for Armidale shared fourth, with 19 points.

Tournament co-organiser Mitchell Johnson said Moree bowlers held their own throughout the two-day carnival.

Along with Moree’s Rod Tighe and Dylan Skinner, Johnson figured in the top three overall leaders to qualify for the play-offs.

“The Moree boys again played well,” Johnson said.

“We had a team in the top eight – last year’s runners-up – and there was a good selection of teams from across the state in the finals, including Dubbo, Armidale, Gunnedah, Lismore and Peak Hill,” he said.