Around the greens

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GISBORNE

Last weekend the club championship fours were contested in ideal conditions.

Fifteen ends were played with a two-and-a-half-hour time limit in the early rounds, but there was no time limit for the potential finals, or the finals.

Queenie Takurua (skip), Bobbie Beattie, Ronnie Crone and Kay Goldsbury took the senior women’s title when they beat Carol Hawes (s), Lorna Reeve, Lesley McIntosh and Anne Day twice after each of these teams had beaten junior bowlers Bev Davy (s), Karen Higgins, Ginny Sherriff and Kym Brown.

The juniors were well beaten in their first game with Takurua’s team, but improved dramatically to make a real battle of their match against Hawes’s team. In this game they levelled the score at 14-all after 13 ends, before losing 18-15.

Steve Goldsbury (s), Jamey Ferris, Ricky Miller and Mark Walker met Graham Reeve (s), Maurice Allan, Mike Harris and Ted Mehrtens in the senior men’s final after each had beaten the other once in earlier rounds. All three matches went the full distance. Goldsbury’s team emerged victorious after a three-hour battle in the final.

In early rounds Goldsbury beat Arthur Hawes (s), Bruce Easton, Dennis Raggett and Dave Beattie twice and lost to Reeve. He then beat Reeve in a potential final, which also took close to three hours.

Reeve beat Maurice Taylor (s), Gus McCabe, Graham Moore and Bruce Gledhill in Round 1 then beat Goldsbury in the second round, before having a bye into the potential final.

Hawes lost to Goldsbury in the first round, beat Taylor in Round 2 and then lost to Goldsbury again in Round 3.

The junior men’s title was contested by only two teams, but they had three good battles. Harry Jackson (s), Tony Steele, Ron Seabrook and Don Green beat Ian Greeks (s), Rod Young, Tim Sherriff and Roydon Owen convincingly in their first encounter, and Greeks’s team then levelled the contest in the second clash before Jackson’s team won the deciding final.

The junior women’s championship was deferred by mutual agreement.

Two weeks ago the club had a full green when 48 bowlers contested the Doug Neilson Single-entry Triples, sponsored by Beetham Lifestyle Village. This afternoon tournament was thoroughly enjoyable, and many commented favourably on the format, with a 12.30pm start being very popular.

Jeff Davis (s), Hugh Mackenzie and Peter Allan were the only team to get three wins, but there was a logjam for the minor placings. Lorna Reeve (s), Dave Hooper and Joe Wimutu took second place with two wins, a draw and +12 differential while Allan Thomas (s), Lesley McIntosh and Nona Aston were third with two wins, a draw, and +9. Fourth prize went to Ronnie Crone (s), Kathy Carroll and Kym Brown with two wins and +20.

KAHUTIA

With two days of fine weather and the greens again in excellent condition, the club’s championship fours were completed over the weekend.

Four teams entered the senior fours event and, as expected, Vern Marshall (s), Robin Jefferson, Charlie Ure and Barrie Allen were undefeated. In the first round they beat Mike Chisholm (s), Bill Scott, Fred Parsons and Alan Thomas 21-15. In the second round Murray Murton (s), Gary Tocker, Kevin Bright and Ted Tasker drew level with them at 12-all after 11 ends, but failed to score again and lost 20 shots to 12.

Marshall then had a bye in the third round, leaving Murton to dispose of fellow one-lifers Hiki Kennedy (s), Mo Kapua, Alic Brown and Leighton Shanks 15-2. Murton had already beaten Kennedy 19-10 in the first round.

On Sunday morning Marshall and Murton met again in a potential final.

Once again a close game developed with Marshall’s team only 9-8 ahead after 10 ends, but they then increased the lead over the last five ends to take the title with a 16-10 victory.

Murray Owen skipped Joe Wimutu, Neville Wagner and Richard Mann to victory in the junior men’s fours. They were also unbeaten, but had to go to an extra end to beat Murray Duncan (s), Allan Parker, Frank McLoughlin and Ray Young in a potential final.

Duncan was well placed to take a life off Owen when ahead 13-9 with one end to play. This would have meant they would have had to play each other again for the title, but Owen’s team scored four shots to force an extra end. Wagner placed his second bowl right on the jack and it could not be removed by Duncan, who narrowly missed with two attempts to disturb it. Owen won 14-13.

The senior women’s title went to Glenys Whiteman (s), Francie Adair, Dayvinia Mills and Lucy Shanks, who were unbeaten. They were put to the test in the second round, however, by Lyn Trueman (s), Judy Taylor, Ann Bates and Pat Murton. Whiteman had to draw a second shot with the last bowl of the game to win 16-15.

In the first round Whiteman beat Millie Allen (s), Maria Bradley, Joyce Wagner and Betty Jackson 16-8, while Trueman defeated Carol Jukes (s), Lesley Seymour, Cheryl Jenkins and Anita Vaotuua 14-9.

The two one-lifers met in the second round, and Jukes got home 16-14 against Allen. In the third round Trueman beat Jukes 16-11, and Whiteman had a bye.

On Sunday morning Whiteman met Trueman in a potential final. Trueman led 8-7 after nine ends, but Whiteman put the jack in the ditch for five shots on the next end and continued to play well for her team to retain the lead and take the win 18-10.

Lytton High School student Lucy Shanks, who is in only her second season, turned in a particularly pleasing performance, and played steady lead bowls for the winning team.

POVERTY BAY

Last Wednesday the club hosted an eight-point triples tournament to contest The McKenzie Shield. This was sponsored by The Village Butchery.

Restricting the teams to eight grading points helps to ensure a good mix of playing abilities, although not all clubs grade their members. It was pleasing to have entries from Tolaga Bay, Gisborne and Kahutia clubs, and one team included a visitor from Kapiti Coast club.

Four games of 10 ends, with a 90-minute time limit, provided many high-scoring results which left much speculation as to winners, until the last bowl was delivered. When all the cards had been collated, two teams had won all four of their games. They were then separated by shots differential.

Leoni Renata(s), Mo Kapua, and Alan Parker had a big win in Game 1, and a +6 in Game 4 to accumulate +23 and take first place. Maurice Taylor(s), and Jeff and Joy Davis steadily built up their differential with +2, +5, and + 10, but they were held to a single-point victory by Murray Duncan (s) Anita Vaotuua and Ray Young in the final game. Had Duncan’s team won that game, they would have been runners-up. That last close win earned Taylor’s team second place, however, with a differential of +18, and Duncan finished third with three wins and +19.

It was a very competitive day and all the players enjoyed the social atmosphere during and after the games. Regrettably, Des McKenzie was unable to attend, due to ill health, and president Lex Kennedy presented the prizes and the trophy.

The men’s and women’s open pairs championships were played last weekend. Each category attracted six entries, playing 18 ends with a time limit of one hour 50 minutes, using the two-life system, on a hot breezy Saturday.

At the end of the day, Ora Peipi and Grace Bragg had two lives intact, and they then had to play one-lifers Agnes Gray and Val McGreevy in a potential final, with no time limit, on Sunday when the weather conditions were perfect.

After seven ends the score was 6-6. The next seven ends, however, saw Peipi and Bragg score one on each end to lead 13-6. Two splendid efforts by Gray and McGreevy brought them up to one point behind at 13-12 after 16 ends, but two shots on 17 were enough to cement Peipi’s lead.

In the final end Gray scored one, which left Peipi and Bragg the champions 15-13.

All four played magnificently, and there was particular rivalry between leads Bragg and McGreevy.

Bragg has made a welcome return to the sport after a break of over 20 years. She certainly has a talent to be reckoned with.

In the men’s championship three teams were left with a single life each at the end of Saturday play.

Lex Kennedy and Wes Baillie had a bye into the final. They were to meet the winners of a match between Jon Davies/Bruce Ball and Mark Bain/Dennis Crone.

This proved to be an exhilarating contest. The jack was often crowded by bowls, requiring the skips to inspect the head on several occasions. Perfectly weighted shots from both skips changed the balance of the head frequently.

Bain/Crone were ahead, 4-3 after five ends, but Davies/Ball scored four on End 6 to take the lead. This seemed to inspire Crone to heights of accuracy with his lead bowls which were then gratefully consolidated by Bain. Scoring two, four and four, Bain then led 14-7 at halfway. A brief comeback of three shots by Davies was not good enough, as Bain matched shot for shot over the next eight ends to win 19-15.

Kennedy/Baillie were waiting to play Bain/Crone, who by this time were a team on fire and full of confidence.

Baillie had been a wonderfully consistent and accurate lead in the earlier rounds, but Crone assumed that mantle on Sunday and his draw lead bowls were a sight to see time after time. Bain capitalised on this and they romped home 21-7.

TE KARAKA

Results from the Te Karaka Championship Pairs — David File and Duncan Macpherson still have two lives, after beating Andy Tamanui/Reuben Brown, Ben Brown/Boon McIlroy, and Steve Stewart/Arthur Baty twice.

Adam McIlroy and K. McIlroy have one life after losing to Boon McIlroy/Ben Brown and then beating Reuben Brown/Andy Tamanui, Boon McIlroy/Ben Brown and John Dawson/J. Phelps.

Leoni Renata and Holly McIlroy have won the senior women’s pairs with two lives intact after beating R. Baty/Marie Wright, S. Brown/Del Tamanui and then beating Baty/Wright 15-14 in the final.

Mike Howes and Willy Murray have two lives in the junior men’s event, after beating Grant Baty and Paul Cunningham.