This year the event was a bit different, with YPFers asked to “˜bring an oldie’ to help guide the youngsters through the intricacies of the game and pass down interesting tidbits of knowledge – such as the importance of surface roughness, wind factors, route selection, correct weight and mass balances – to the next generation. Also thrown in was the occasional pipeline story of years gone past.
SEA Gas’ Pat O’Dea took the lead by taking the group through the regulatory framework of the competition, and after a barbeque buffet and a few beverages to lubricate the joints, the event was underway.
The 26 attendees were grouped in random herds of three to four, with a couple of purposeful selections to ensure the experience and patience of the senior pipeliners was well combined with the youthful YPFers’ enthusiasm.
While many were quick to pick up the deft touch required for the quick greens, others struggled to keep bowls in play and a few focused on obliterating well-positioned bowls of competitors and teammates alike.
The tight competition resulted in the occasional appearance of a measuring tape – or calibrated scarf – to resolve decisions deemed too close to call by visual examination alone.
Later in the evening, the cream was rising, with the final match for pride and glory pitting Alex Wickham of the SA Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade, Resources and Energy (DMITRE), Adam Langman of URS and Damian Penneck of SEA Gas against Eddie Sandrini of Beach Energy, Pat O’Dea of SEA Gas and Michael Jarosz of DMITRE. Perhaps unsurprisingly to some, Captain Pat’s knowledge and experience helped steer his crew to victory and claim the coveted title.
All in all, the event was a roaring success, and although the miniature porcelain trophy was cracked in the exuberant celebrations, the SA YPF vouch to return to the green in the years to come with a superior engineered trophy.
The SA YPF committee would like to thank all who participated, both “˜oldies’ and YPFers alike, as well as SEA Gas and Maloney Field Services for making this event possible.