Around the greens — bowling club news

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GISBORNE

The club completed all of its championship singles events over the weekend, with the greens running well over the two days.

Only six entries were received for the senior men’s singles. Steve Goldsbury took the title after a commendable performance from Ted Mehrtens.

Goldsbury suffered a 21-14 first-round defeat at the hands of Ricky Miller but recovered in the next round to beat Maurice Taylor 21-15 and then Bruce Gledhill 21-13 in the third.

Mehrtens started well with a 21-15 win against Rex Richardson and another, by the same score, against Gledhill. He then met fellow two-lifer Miller and beat him 21-11 to get a bye into a possible final.

This meant Goldsbury and Miller met again, Goldsbury prevailing 21-12. Having to beat Mehrtens twice to take the title, Goldsbury defeated him 21-9 and 21-12.

Only five entries were received in the senior women’s singles, Ronnie Crone getting through after having to play Queenie Takurua three times.

In the first round, Crone beat Takurua 21-10 while Carol Hawes defeated Adrienne Smiler 21-4.

Crone had a bye, and Bobbie Beattie defeated Hawes 21-10.

Down in the one-lifers, in a classic mother-versus-daughter clash, Takurua just got home against Smiler, 21-19.

In the third round, Crone beat Beattie 21-10 in a battle of the two-lifers, while Takurua put Hawes out of the event by the same score.

On Sunday morning, Takurua had the bye while Crone put Beattie out, winning 21-7.

Takurua showed her fighting qualities in the next round, taking a life off Crone, 21 shots to 16, but then in a sudden-death final Crone got home 21-12 to take the title.

Jamey Ferris reigned supreme in the junior men’s singles for those with up to eight years’ bowls experience as expected.

Wins against Tony Steele, 21-8, and Dennis Raggett, 21-10, saw him into a possible final with two lives.

Kahu Kerekere, a new player to the club, lost to Raggett 21-19 in the first round but then beat Steele and Raggett to earn a meeting with Ferris.

Ferris got through 21-16 but former Marton Bowling Club member Kerekere showed much promise for the future.

Bev Davy was the proud recipient of the Hilary Allan Trophy when she won the women’s singles for those with up to eight years’ bowls experience.

This was the first time the trophy was at stake and Davy played well to beat Anne Day 21-15 and 21-13.

Don Green won the men’s singles for those with up to five years’ bowls experience and had to play Mark Harris three times to win the title.

Green won their first meeting and went on to beat Bruce Gledhill and Harry Jackson to get the bye.

Down in the one-lifers, Harris beat Tim Sherriff, Ron Seabrook and Harry Jackson to set up a showdown with Green.

Harris took a life off Green, 21-15, but in the final Green came back to beat Harris 21-11.

In the women’s singles for those with up to five years’ bowls experience, second-year player Ginny Sherriff won the title with her two lives intact.

She beat Kym Brown 21-13 and Karen Higgins 21-20, and in the final beat Jenny Evans 21-16.

Also in her second year, Evans beat Brown 21-18 and Higgins 21-16 on her way to the final.

The B Grade men’s singles completed on Sunday resulted in a win to Maurice Taylor, who beat Bruce Gledhill in the final.

KAHUTIA

The club held its championship pairs last weekend in perfect weather, with the greens running around 18 seconds.

The only title yet to be finalised is the senior men’s event where Vern Marshall (skip) and Robin Jefferson, still with two lives, will play one-lifers and last season’s winners Murray Murton (s) and Charlie Ure at a later date.

In their first game Marshall and Jefferson were trailing Harry Green (s) and Jock Smith for most of the game before getting home 16-13.

Up against Murton and Ure in their next game, Marshall and Jefferson cruised home 22-7, which earned them a bye in the third round.

They then played Green and Smith again on Sunday morning, winning 19-12, and then had a second bye into a possible final after beating fellow two-lifers Ted Tasker (s) and Barrie Allen 16-8.

Murton and Ure recovered well after their second-round loss, beating Ray Smith (s) and new member Michael Maunder 17-10 and then Mike Chisholm (s) and Bill Scott 19-12.

After receiving a bye in the fifth round they had a tight match against the experienced team of Tasker (s) and Allen but got home 16-13 to make the possible final.

Glenys Whiteman (s) and Francie Adair won the senior women’s pairs with their two lives intact.

In their first game they beat Maria Bradley (s) and Anita Vaotuua 22-17 and then Dayvinia Mills (s) and Joyce Wagner 17-8 in the second round.

They then defeated fellow two-lifers Ann Bates (s) and Pat Murton 18-9, which gave them a bye into a possible final.

Lyn Trueman (s) and Judy Taylor also played well, beating Millie Allen (s) and Lesley Seymour 18-10 after losing to Bates and Murton 19-13 in the second round.

Trueman and Taylor went on to defeat Bates and Murton 22-9 but in the possible final Whiteman and Adair dominated proceedings and won by 20 shots to 9.

The junior men’s pairs for those with up to eight years’ bowls experience turned out to be a battle royal between eventual winners Murray Duncan (s) and Lytton High School student Leighton Shanks (lead) and Murray Owen (s) and lead Neville Wagner.

These two teams played each other three times over the weekend. Duncan drew first blood, beating Owen 23-7 in the third round, but Owen took a life off Duncan in the fifth round, winning 19-16.

The sudden-death final was a great tussle, with Duncan ahead 12-11 after 14 ends. Five more shots on the next two ends gave him a six-shot cushion.

Back came Owen and Wagner, scoring three shots on the 17th end, but they could score only two shots on the last end . . . Duncan scraped home 17-16.

Cheryl Jenkins (s) and Lucy Shanks won the junior women’s pairs for those with up to eight years’ bowls experience after a great struggle with Nona Aston (s) and Linda Mann.

These pairs played each other three times over the weekend.

Jenkins and Shanks beat Marie Thomas (s) and Pat Ford 26-8 in the first round, drew a bye in the second, then suffered a 28-11 loss to Aston and Mann.

However, Jenkins recovered to take a life off Aston in the next round, winning 18-8, and then repeated the dose with a 17-9 victory in the sudden-death final.