Bay teams fall short in effort to gain top spots

Both the men's and women's teams were well in the running to capture one of the top two spots in the northern regional league at Auckland over the weekend and qualify for the national inter-centre final. But they fell behind over the final two of six rounds - though the women fared better.

The Bay women were just one game behind leaders Northland and Waikato after five rounds but won three of their last six matches to slip to fourth place, with 22 points (11 wins).

North Harbour won all three matches in the crucial final round - similar to their effort last season - to pip Auckland for second place with 24 points and a plus 15 shots differential compared with Auckland's 24 and plus 9.

Northland was the top qualifier with 25 points, and former national champions Waikato finished up with 23, Thames Valley 20, Counties Manukau 18 and Far North 12.

Over the seven rounds of the northern regional league, Bay's singles player Wendy Green had four wins, the pair of Mary Campbell and Robyn Davis two, and the four of Mina Paul, Lynnette McIntosh, Missy Fitzgerald and Melva Clarke had a strong tournament with five wins.

Over the final two rounds, the in-form Green had wins of 25-13 and 25-21 over Northland and Far North and the Bay four beat Counties Manukau 14-8 but they lost a crunch game against North Harbour 16-10.

Behind two games after the fifth round in a tightly-bunched contest, the Bay men won only one of their last six matches - the four of Phil Harris, Tony Parkinson, John Simons and Robbie Aitken beat Counties Manukau 16-9.

The pair of Steve Beel and Paul Anderson, and singles player Lance Tasker lost to cellar-dwellers Far North 23-14 and 25-12, and that was the end of the latest campaign.

Northland and Auckland were the qualifiers with 26 and 25 points, followed by Waikato 24, Thames Valley 22, Counties Manukau 20, North Harbour 19, Bay of Plenty 17 and Far North 15.

Over the campaign, Tasker recorded three wins out of seven, Beel and Anderson two wins and a draw, and the four three wins.

The men's reserve side ended up finishing the best performed Bay side and showed that late comebacks can succeed. They won their last six games to finish second on 28 points, behind Auckland 34 but ahead of North Harbour 27, Counties Manukau 24, Waikato 20, Thames Valley 14, Northland 13 and Far North 8.

The experienced pair of Doug Russell and Ross Owen won six of their seven games, while singles player Cameron Higgins and the four of Stu Robertson, John Simons, Cameron Riddington and Ray Wilson had four wins.

The women's reserve also finished second with 26 points and plus 39, ahead of Northland with 26 and plus 36 but trailling North Harbour with 32.

At Paeroa, the Bay junior women could not have performed any better, winning seven matches and drawing the other two on the second day of the Geddes Cup.

But the men didn't come to the party, winning only two of their nine matches and in the end Waikato won the cup with 45 points, ahead of the Bay on 38, Counties Manukau 34 and Thames Valley 27.

On Saturday, four Bay teams are contesting the regional inter-club qualifying for the national final. At Tauranga South, the home team is competing against Papakura (Counties Manukau), Coromandel (Thames Valley) and Frankton Railway (Waikato) in the men's division one, and Gate Pa faces Waiuku (Counties Maunukau), Waitoa (Thames Valley) and Frankton Junction (Waikato) in division two.

In the ladies division one at the Arawa club, Rotorua meet Manurewa Cosmopolitan (Counties Manukau), Paeroa (Thames Valley), and Hillcrest (Waikato). The former division two national women's champions have the chance of again reaching the national final by playing Manurewa Cosmopolitan, Waitoa (Thames Valley) and Te Awamutu (Waikato).