Around the Greens: Club bowls news

TROPHY PRESENTED: Trevor Mills (left) presented the Evelyn Mills Trophy to the winners of the Val Smith 2-4-2 Mixed Pairs Tournament, Ngamiro Allen and Vern Marshall. Picture by Norma Miller

Vern Marshall and Ngamiro Allen were in familiar territory when they won the Val Smith 2-4-2 Mixed Pairs Tournament over the weekend.

Presenting the Evelyn Mills Trophy to them for winning the tournament, Trevor Mills said Marshall had won the tourney four times since 2008 and Allen had won it twice.

The Val Smith Tournament, a popular Poverty Bay Bowling Club event, was played in ideal conditions.

Twenty-six pairs from four clubs thoroughly enjoyed their weekend.

Teams were divided into two sections of comparable abilities. Each section played at Poverty Bay Bowling Club one day and Gisborne Bowling Club the other, so players competed on both natural and artificial greens.

Four rounds of 10 ends or 90 minutes were played each day. Winners were decided on game points — two for a win and one for a draw — and teams with equal points were separated by ends won.

Allen and Marshall won all eight of their games, but not without some tense moments.

They had close contests, in particular the game against July Williams and Lucy Shanks, who were second overall in the tournament. Both pairs won five ends in that game but Allen and Marshall won 11-7 on points.

As runners-up, Williams and Shanks won the Norma and Garth Peck Tray. They had the same number of points as Boon McIlroy and Sarah Brown, but won an extra end.

In Section A, first place went to Allen and Marshall, with 16 points.

In second place were Williams and Shanks, with 14 points (46 ends).

Third were Betty Herring and Murray Murton, with 10 points (46 ends).

Herring and Murton beat fourth-placed Dawson Owen and Kandyce Bevan, who also had 10 points, by just one end.

In the first game of the tournament, Owen and Bevan — two juniors who had a great tournament and won all four of their games on the first day — had defeated Herring and Murton.

The winners of Section B were Boon McIlroy and Sarah Brown, with 14 points (45 ends).

Second were Lex Kennedy and Val McGreevy, with 13 points.

Third were Don and Krystel Williams, with 11 points (45 ends).

Dianne Phillips and Mark Walker also had 11 points, but only 44 ends.

It was great to have two father-and-daughter pairs competing — Don and Krystel Williams for the first time and Ben and Holly Elkington.

Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village sponsored the tournament.