GisborneFive of six titles at stake were decided and in the sixth the finalists were found when Gisborne Bowling Club held its singles championships at the weekend.
Only the senior men’s champion has yet to be decided. Ricky Miller and Jamey Ferris will fight out the final at a later date.
A competitive men’s field produced some epic battles, none more so than the Round 5 stoush in which Steve Goldsbury and Jamey Ferris fought to stay in the championship race after each had lost a life in the two-life system. Ferris prevailed 19-18 after the bell in the time-limit game to book a place in the next round.
In Round 6, the remarkable Maurice Taylor finally bowed out after taking eventual finalist Miller to an extra end. Earlier, the 87-year-old had taken a life from reigning Gisborne-East Coast singles champion Ferris.
As other favourites were falling by the wayside, Miller kept plugging away. Besides Taylor, twice, his scalps included representative bowlers Goldsbury, Mal Trowell and Charlie Ure.
In Round 7, the potential final, his luck and his legs finally ran out and he lost 21-13 to Ferris. It was his first loss so he lives to fight another day.
Veteran Queenie Takurua made short work of the women’s field. She took care of daughter Adrienne Smiler 21-7, Bobbie Beattie 21-6 and Tanya Harrison 21-6 before clinching the first final, against Smiler, 21-17.
Ginny Sherriff and Mike Harris were unbeaten in winning the titles for bowlers with less than eight years of bowls experience.
Only four points in two clashes separated Sherriff and Barbara Gibson in the under-8 women’s title race. Gibson was within a point of forcing the championship into a deciding match when she led Sherriff 20-11 in the potential final before being run down. Earlier, Sherriff had taken Gibson’s first life 21-18.
In his last year as an under-8 competitor, Harris was rarely troubled, winning his two games against Tim Sherriff in the men’s event 21-15 and 21-16. His tightest game came in Round 1, when he held out last year’s champion Peter Gledhill 19-18.
Unlike the under-8s who, disappointingly, largely stayed at home, the club’s new members were out in force. Seven newbies tried their hand at championship bowls and produced some quality efforts in the divisions for those with less than three years’ experience.
After eliminating Steve Ward in the men’s division, Peter Clay and Mike Donnelly settled in for the long haul. Clay won their first clash 21-12, Donnelly won the second 21-6, and Clay clinched the decider and the title 21-19.
Angela Gibson-Sam was untroubled in the under-3 women’s division, winning the final against Anne Ward 24-5 without losing a life.
Impressive efforts by Libby Clay and Nanette Treloar in the early rounds provided further evidence that the club is in good heart.
Junior championshipsJunior fours and mixed pairs championships and the open mixed pairs final will be played on the weekend of December 15 and 16. Members are reminded to check the entry sheets at the clubhouse for details.
Christmas bowlsThe club’s traditional Christmas bowls and barbecue event has been moved from Tuesday, December 18, to Wednesday, December 19. It will start at 12.30pm.
The greens have been booked for a large social function on the Tuesday, so members please note: no club bowls will be played that day.
Poverty BayThe Poverty Bay Bowling Club junior pairs championships were decided last Saturday.
Four teams of men competed using a two-life system with games of 12 ends or 90 minutes.
Unfortunately, only one team entered the women’s section as several eligible players were unable to take part.
Dave Hooper and Jareth Gaskin won their section, retaining both lives, but not without a strong challenge from Dawson Owen and Andrew Ball.
Having lost a life in Round 1, Owen and Ball came through two close games, beating Ron Seabrook (with Colin Evans) and Tam Buckingham (with Luke Sanders) to reach the potential final.
The result of that match was always in doubt. Owen was ahead 5-2 after five ends, and then Hooper was up 8-5 after End 8.
Owen briefly regained the lead.
The last two ends showed how balanced both teams were, with almost identical draw bowling from the two leads (Ball and Gaskin) and both skips making it a most exhilarating battle to watch.
Hooper’s experience finally won through, and he and Gaskin took the title 12-1 after a great day of competition.