Vermeulen wins thrilling bowls final

Ewald Vermeulen of Eros Bowling Club beat Douw Calitz of Windhoek Country Club in a thrilling final to win the men?s title at the Windhoek Closed Singles Bowls Championships on February 27.
Vermeulen beat Calitz by the narrowest of margins, 16 and a half to 16 to qualify for the World Singles Championships, which take place in Australia in November. Calitz, of course, won the World Singles Championships in Australia in 2003.
Vermeulen was magnanimous in victory:
?Douw Calitz is a very good player and I was just lucky to be one shot ahead for most of the match. I didn?t expect to win, but now it feels great. I am very keen to go to the World Championships, but I will need a few sponsors because it will cost at least N$20 000. I believe I can do well in Australia,? he said.
Diana Viljoen won the women?s singles title for the second year in a row after easily defeating Erna Muller 2-0 in the final.
Viljoen is now keen to also go to the World Championships after she had to forego last year?s event due to a lack of money.
?Last year I won the women?s singles title, while my husband Julian won the men?s singles title, so it was too expensive for both of us to go to the world championships. I definitely want to go this year and I hope my coach Malcolm Lindsay Payne can accompany me. He plays a big role in my career and if he?s with me I think I will do very well,? she said.
Meanwhile the national selectors have announced men and women?s squads that will participate in several international events over the next year. These include a test against South Africa in June, the African States Bowls Tournament (AST) in Botswana in September, and the Commonwealth Games in March 2006 in Australia. The AST will serve as a qualifying tournament for the World Bowls Championships in 2008 in New Zealand. At the last World Championships in England in 2004, Namibia came 12th out of 24 countries.
The national squads are as follows:
Men
Graham Snyman, Ewald Vermeulen, Douw Calitz, Johan Jacobs, Pikkie Binneman, Julian Viljoen, Peet Opperman, Tollie Cronje, Willie Esterhuizen, Herman Grobler, Jean Viljoen, Horst Zimny, Mannie Gradidge, Otto Krahenbuhl junior, Steven Peake, Shane Westerdale, Jan Wijgergangs, Sandy Joubert, Noel Gottsch, Gary du Toit, Gert Nasilowski, Eckhardt Gartner, Kiewiet Rust and Morne Rust.
Women
Caryl Andreas, Ellen Boettger, Sheena du Toit, Marietjie du Preez, Theuna Grobler, Elaine Krahenbuhl, Lynne Lindsay Payne, Charlotte Morland, Erna Muller, Mary Nasilowski, Heleen Rust, Chrisna Steenkamp, Lesley Vermeulen, Miere van der Merwe and Diana Viljoen.