Club bowls

EXPERIENCE AND THEN SOME: Queenie Takura's Graham Shield Mixed Graded Fours-winning side featured Bruce Smart, 97, and Eric Craill, 89, who played half a day each at the Poverty Bay Bowling Club tournament. The champion outfit are (from left), Smart, Adrienne Smiler, Dawson Owen (holding the impressive shield), Takurua and Craill. Picture supplied

Age was a barrier at Poverty Bay Bowling Club's Graham Shield Mixed Graded Fours . . . a barrier to those who came up against the overall winners.

Queenie Takurua skipped Adrienne Smiler, Dawson Owen, Eric Craill and Bruce Smart to victory.

Smart, 97 years of age, and Craill, 89, were pleased to play half a day each after Takurua's lead withdrew.

The tournament format was four games of 10 ends or 1½ hours.

Takurua's winning side had three wins and a draw to top the 13-team competition.

Three teams had three wins so second and third placings were decided on ends won.

Paul Harrison (skip, Barbara Gibson and Geoff and Karen Pinn were runners-up.

Maurice Taylor (s), Dayvinia Mills, Ron Robertson and new player Joy McFarlane were third.

Some close games made the competition exciting.

In the second round, Ian Carroll's team defeated Taylor by a differential of one after each won five ends.

Takurua drew with the Joy Davis-skipped team in the third round.

Harrison had a close fourth-round win against Murray Murton's four. Both fours won five ends apiece but Harrison got across the line by one on differential.