After just four ends had been played, and with the bottom green flooding rapidly, the controlling body called everyone off the green to a concerted sigh of relief.

The rain did ease and within an hour the ladies were all back on the green once again.

The only bright spot in the whole dismal conditions were the gold slacks which the Lightning Ridge ladies were wearing as an optional uniform for the first time.

After the first day there were just two winners - Maureen Conduit of Lemon Tree Passage and Fuzz Zimmerman of Goondiwindi.

There were three games to be played on Sunday with a lot of the teams in for a show.

The ultimate winner was the Inverell trio of Jan Anderson, Pat Yee and D Mongaue.

The runners-up with five wins and 30 were the popular Nyngan team of Liz Wynn, Latisha Waterhouse and Mary Arandale.

Maureen Conduit and her team from Lemon Tree Passage - Ruth Pagett and Jeanette McClure - were not far behind with five wins and 23.

Fuzz Zimmerman and the team of Lenore Hohn and Christine Girard were fourth with five wins and 14.

The fifth prize of opal watches went to June O’Keefe and her team of Denise Powell and Coral King from Sussex Inlet.

Thanks must go to the umpires Bob Newman, Noel Burke and Toby Egan; to Adam Webb, who did his best under trying conditions and to Kylie and the kitchen staff for once again outdoing themselves with a superlative prize-giving buffet.

The executive committee of the Lightning Ridge Ladies Bowling Club would like to offer their heartfelt thanks to all these people for making the Black Opal Ladies Triples another very successful tournament.