KAHUTIAAn excellent entry of 66 bowlers turned out for the Harcourts Real Estate Optional Triples played on the Saturday before Christmas. The field included visitors from the Gisborne and Poverty Bay clubs.
Even though the weather was better suited to winter sport, players enjoyed the close competition.
Poverty Bay’s Larry Kaloucava and Joy Davis combined with Gisborne’s Ginny Sherriff to win the tournament outright with four wins and a differential of +26.
Runners-up — also with four wins but a differential of +23 — were Kahutia’s Trevor Phelps (skip), clubmate Ray Young and Gisborne’s Dennis Raggett.
Third place was closely contested. Kahutia’s Gary Tocker (s), June Sharp and Leighton Shanks had three wins and +29, and just got home ahead of Kahutia’s Mike Chisholm (s) and Murray Owen, and Poverty Bay’s Ngawai Turipa, who finished in fourth place with three wins and +28.
Harcourts representative Wendy Reeves presented the prizes to the winners, and those present then enjoyed a light supper.
On Sunday, the club made further progress with the men’s junior singles. In the event for those with up to five years’ bowling experience, 2014 winner and 2015 runner-up Neville Wagner staged a remarkable recovery to win the competition.
Starting the day with two lives, he was well beaten 21-2 by one-lifer Murray Duncan.
Having to play Duncan again, Wagner regained his composure, and in a close game got home 21-18. Wagner shot out to a 12-4 lead after 10 ends, but the scores were 12-all after 13 ends.
Wagner led 18-15 after 19 ends, but Duncan scored singles in the next three ends to level the score at 18-all. However, Wagner scored the necessary three shots on the next end to take the title.
Both players should be congratulated on their performances in the final.
Charlie Ure still has two lives intact in the eight-years-and-under event, and has to play one-lifer Steve Jenkins in a possible final.
Ure beat fellow two-lifer Jenkins 21-8, while Murray Owen had a great battle with fellow one-lifer Ron Davie, Owen just getting home 21-19.
Jenkins was too good for Owen in the next round, winning 21-10, and now faces Ure at a later date.
The halfway stage of the club’s midweek aggregate has been reached, with Charlie Ure leading on 46 points. Chasing hard only two points behind is Frank McLoughlin on 44.
Last year’s winner, Murray Murton, and Richard Mann are third-equal on 40, while Lyn Trueman and Alic Brown both have 37.
Jock Smith is in seventh place on 36, Ray Young is next on 35, followed by Alistair Johnston on 34 and Allan Williams, who completes the top 10, on 33.
