Van den Bergh stars at National Bowls Champs

Marietjie van den Bergh and Christo ‘Kat’ Steenkamp both retained their singles titles at the King Price National Bowls Championships which concluded in Windhoek on Saturday. 

Van den Bergh who is affiliated with Tsumeb Bowling Club but now plays in Upington, South Africa beat Michelle Vermeulen of Eros Bowling Club in the women’s final, while Steenkamp of Trans Namib Bowls Club beat Julian Viljoen of Swakopmund Bowls Club in the men’s singles final. 

It was a great tournament for Van den Bergh, who made a clean sweep, winning all four the women’s titles. Since it was an open championship, players from South Africa were also allowed to enter and Van den Bergh and her teammates from Upington dominated the other categories. 

In the Women’s Pairs final, Van den Bergh and Petro Breedt beat Truda Meaden and Maureen Sadler of Windhoek Bowls Club; while Van den Bergh, Breedt and Susan Venter beat Anjuleen Viljoen, Michelle Vermeulen and Amanda Steenkamp in the Women’s Trips final.

In the Women’s Fours final, Van den Bergh, Breedt, Venter and Peta-Ann Basford beat Lesley Vermeulen, Annette Scholtz, Valdi Wentzel and Mirinda Bezuidenhout.

The Men’s Pairs competition was won by Waylon Wentzel and Freddie Fouche, who beat Schalk van Wyk and Claude Thorburn in the final; while Julian Viljoen, Gordon Damster and Schalk van Wyk beat Colin Peake, Christo de Beer and Dirk Breedt in the Men’s Trips final.

The Men’s Fours title was won by Schalk van Wyk, Dave Gibbons, Julian Viljoen and Gordon Damster, who beat Johan Jacobs, Colin Peake, Ewald Vermeulen and Piet du Plooy in the final. 

The Mixed Pairs title was won by Anjuleen Viljoen and Kat Steenkamp who beat Waylon Wentzel and Mirinda Bezuidenhout in the final. 

Andre Campbell won the Men’s Senior Singels title after beating Karl Hartmanin the final, while Annelize Wolfaardt won the Senior Singles Women’s title after beating Annelize Opperman in the final. 

Gary Strubel won the Men’s Novice Singles title, with Maurice Wiese and Christo Brand both winning silver medals, while Moira Fourie beat Ndapanda Nghihepavali in the Women’s Novice Singles final. 

Dave Gibbons of Swakopmund won the Men’s Plate title after beating Gordon Damster in the final, while Truda Meaden beat Bianca Lewis in the Women’s Plate final. 

Peter Fourie of Swakopmund Bowls Club won the Men’s Personality of the Tournament award, as voted by his peers, while Valdi Wentzel of Eros Bowls Club won the Women’s Pertsonality of the Tournament award.

The tournament drew players from all over Namibia, as well as Upington, while some of the youngest players included the Van Wyk sisters – Hailey (14) and Danelle (12), while JR Vermeulen was the youngest of the lot at a mere eight years of age.