Kahutia triples champs: Kahutia Bowling Club held its championship triples at the weekend. The open men's triples winners are (from left) Leighton Shanks (lead), Ray Smith (director) and Alastair Macpherson (skip). Pictures supplied
Gisborne Bowling Club held its annual triples championships last weekend with some interesting results.
It took three games for the junior women's competition to be decided.
After losing their first game to Adrienne Torrie, Karen Pinn and Nanette Treloar, the team of Barbara Gibson, Libby Clay and Joy McFarlane bounced back with a good win to give themselves a chance to take out the title.
However the Torrie-led team dug in and are the junior champions for 2021.
The junior men's title went to the Pinn family. Father Geoff (skip) and sons Liam and Kyle played some beautiful bowls to defeat Don Oates (skip), Steve Ward and Ron Robertson in two games.
Every time the “mature” team put a bowl on the head, the young Pinns replied with one closer. According to their father, they were the stars. What a future these two boys have in a game where younger and younger people are taking up bowls and television has brought the excitement of the sport into our homes.
The senior women's final was played out between regular rivals.
Bobby Beattie, Tanya Harrison and Karen Higgins had one life, while Queenie Takurua, Adrienne Smiler and Dayvinia Mills had both lives intact.
After eight ends, Queenie was up 11-5 but with a superb shot by Beattie that put the jack in the ditch on the ninth and a 2-shot reward, her girls lifted and on the 11th end it was 11-all and anyone's game.
Queenie's team held their nerve and the final score, 19-17, was an accurate reflection of how close it was.
The senior men's final was an interesting spectacle to say the least.New Zealand's top greenkeeper Jamey Ferris, with many titles under his belt, took two junior players to within four points of winning a senior title. Ferris skipped Hugh Trafford and Roger Dymock against experienced players Charlie Ure and Boon McIlroy and junior Peter Clay.
It was concentration in spades and a major step up from the weekday roll-ups for the three junior players, and they responded brilliantly. The final score was 15-12 to Ure's team.
Spectators were hanging on every bowl. Congratulations to the winners and all their opponents.
The Poverty Bay Bowling Club women's and men's open triples championships were completed over the weekend.
Five teams competed in the women's competition, which was won by Betty Herring (skip), Joy Davis (director) and Diane Christie (lead).
They defeated Jan Powell (s), Erin Sutherland (d) and Kathy Carroll (l) 15-3 in the final.
Herring skipped competently and they played well as a team, winning all their games.
The winners of the men's open triples were Lex Kennedy (s), Barrie Denham (d) and Bruce Gledhill (l).
In the final, they defeated Larry Kaloukava (s), John Andrews (d) and Bruce Smart (l) 14-5. Kaloukava's team all played great bowls and provided some good entertainment for club members in their first two games.
Kaloukava is noted for his wicks sometimes coming in and winning three points.
In the first round, Kaloukava's team defeated Ian Carroll (s), Jeff Davis (d) and Dave Hooper (l) 11-10.
Kaloukava's team were well ahead until the last end, when Carroll's team got four points to almost catch up.
In the fourth round, a provisional final, Kaloukava's team surprised everyone by defeating Kennedy's team 12-9. They were ahead 12-1 after seven ends and Kennedy's team won the last five ends but could not catch them. This meant another game had to be played the following day.
The two older players in Kaloukava's team were weary after their three games on the first day and the heat was a challenge for them in the final in which Kennedy and co all played well.
Kahutia Bowling Club's championship triples were played on Saturday and Sunday.
Conditions of play were 15 ends of three-bowl triples or a time limit of two hours with three games a day. However, because of the fast, slick greens only 12 or 13 ends were possible because of the time limit.
Two teams contested the women's competition. Glenys Whiteman (skip), Marie Wright (director) and Paige Richter (lead) easily defeated Carol Jukes (skip), Lucy Shanks (director) and Pat Bayley (lead) to take the title with two lives intact.
Two teams contested the junior men's competition. In Round 1, Willy Murray (skip), Marty Ryan (director) and Ray Young (lead) narrowly defeated Alan Parker (s), Frank McLaughlin (d) and Graham Atkins (l), 11-10 on the 12th end . . . saved by the time limit.
In Round 2, Parker's team were only able to move in ones, and Murray's team took the title 10-6.
Five teams competed in the open men's division, which meant the bye came into play.
On Saturday in Round 1, the bye went to Steve Berezowski (s), Bruce Ball (d) and Chris Hewson (l).
Alastair Macpherson (s), Ray Smith (d) and Leighton Shanks (l) defeated Murray Murton (s), Gary Tocker (d) and Murray Owen (l) 16-5. George Vaotuua (s), Steve Jenkins (d) and Andy Tamanui (l) defeated Ropata Ruwhiu (s), Ray Taylor (d) and Alic Brown (l) 10-16.
In Round 2, Macpherson's team had the bye. Berezowski defeated Vaotuua 17-10 and Murton defeated Ruwhiu 19-3.
In Round 3: Berezowski narrowly defeated Macpherson 12-11 on the 13th end. Murton narrowly defeated Vaotuua 14-13 on the 14th end.
On Sunday, Murton's team had the bye in Round 4. Macpherson defeated Berezowski 16-7
Berezowski's team had the bye in Round 5. Macpherson defeated Murton 15-7.
Round 6 was the final. Macpherson's team were always in control and convincingly defeated Berezowski's team 19-6. Berezowski conceded the game after the 13th end.
For the winners, Leighton Shanks played fantastic lead bowls. He is still a junior and looks to have a bright future.
Ray Smith also chipped in regularly when needed, but the player of the triples championship, without a doubt, was Alastair Macpherson, who played some magnificent draw bowls.
The women's singles championships were completed on the Saturday.
This was a cat-and-mouse game between Glenys Whiteman and Marie Wright.
On the 12th end, Whiteman was up 14-8, only for Wright to claw back some of the deficit by gaining two points to make the score 14-10.
However, Whiteman gained a three on the 15th end to make it 17-10.
Not to be outdone, Wright stepped up a gear and scored seven points over the next three ends to make it all square at 17-all.
Whiteman picked up another three on the 20th end and one more on the 21st to give her the singles 21-17.