Throughout the year just past, Sailor Jerry returned with their Pins & Pin-Ups bowling competition. Bar teams from right around the country took part in the state finals, with their eye on the grand prize: a once in a lifetime trip to Las Vegas with Sailor Jerry. All that stood between them was a fine set of pins down the end of their lanes.
The winning state teams — reigning champs, Cobbler, from QLD; Establishment from NSW; The Beaufort, from VIC; NOLA from SA; Skycity from the NT; and The Avenue from WA were joined by the team from Society Salamanca from TAS and gathered in Adelaide to drink Sailor Jerry, do a spot of go kart racing, drink fine wines in McLaren Vale, and duke it out to see who would come out on top in the national final.
The morning of day one was spent checking into their luxe rooms on the Glenelg beachfront, before boarding a bus to get go karting. Everyone was looking to last year’s go kart champ, Dave Kerr of The Beaufort, to set the pace, but it was a team made up up of Adelaide and Perth lads that took out the afternoon, setting a blistering pace.
The crew jumped back on the bus again and were whisked south of the city to McLaren Vale, where they were met with a wine tasting, a sun setting over the St Vincent Gulf, and a feast in one of Australia’s best stocked wine cellars.
Day two arrived and the competitors began the day with a couple of Sailor Jerry & OJ’s at Adelaide bar, BRKLYN, before heading to the bowling alley for the final showdown. The first round saw all seven teams put to the test with the first knockout round, in which Tasmania and Victoria were knocked out.
The second round saw each team bowl two games, and this is where the competition heated up. The teams from NSW, SA and the NT were giving reigning champions QLD a good run for their money, and the scores tight; but at the end of this round, it was QLD and the home state of SA through to the final, winner takes all round.
We had some close competition last year for the Sailor Jerry Pins & Pin-Ups final, but nothing like it was this year. QLD and SA were in a frame by frame battle, one that went right down to the wire.
But team Cobbler from QLD dug deep, egging themselves on, and finally found their winning form to pull ahead of the guys from SA by a handful of pins.
QLD picked up their second killer trophy from Sailor Jerry and the honours on the day. The team also won a once in a lifetime trip to Las Vegas with Sailor Jerry, where they’ll have a bowl against the best that the Americans have to offer.
The question now, is, are you going to give it your best shot next year when the comp returns?
