Around the greens

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GISBORNE

When the club’s triples championships were played in October, the senior men’s event was not completed, and three teams were still in contention.

Arthur Hawes (skip), Bruce Easton and Dave Beattie had two lives intact, while Steve Goldsbury (s), Maurice Taylor and Ted Mehrtens had one life, as did Jamey Ferris (s), Ricky Miller and Mark Walker.

Last Saturday the Ferris team beat Goldsbury’s trio, earning the right to challenge the Hawes team in a potential final.

This was a hard-fought battle, with only three points separating the teams at the end.

The potential final proved to be the actual final when the Hawes team had a comfortable win.

KAHUTIAThirty teams entered the Ryman Healthcare Kiri Te Kanawa Retirement Village Five-point Optional Pairs last weekend.

They braved sweltering conditions with temperatures reaching 35 degrees in the afternoons.

On Saturday, four games of 90 minutes were played. Teams were then allocated to either Section A or Section B, depending on results.

It became survival of the fittest, and the four games on Sunday were reduced to 75 minutes, a decision all players readily accepted.

With no Section A team gaining four wins, the top prize went to Murray and Pat Murton with three wins and a crucial draw in the last game against Ian Carroll and Erin Sutherland.

Mike Travers and Ngawai Turipa also played well to take second place with three wins.

Peter Robinson and Murray Duncan were third, while David Hooper and Trish Leach finished fourth.

Lyn Trueman and Lucy Shanks won Section B with four wins.

Brian Cairns and Chris Hewson were second, and Mo Kapua and Frank McLoughlin, third.

Although the club’s midweek aggregate competition still has 14 weeks to go, some players are challenging for the top position. The event concludes at the end of April.

Frank McLoughlin and Charlie Ure are in first-equal place with 56 points, and have a five point lead on Alic Brown who has 51.

Last year’s winner, Murray Murton, is on 49, followed by Ray Young on 46, with Jock Smith and Richard Mann both on 45.

Allan Williams and Alistair Johnston are equal on 42, with Murray Owen one point behind.

The final of the club’s mixed pairs championship will be played on Saturday, starting at 9am, when Glenys Whiteman and Charlie Ure will play Alastair Macpherson and Francie Adair.

Both teams have one life left.