Flag flies high for new tournament

WELL-DRESSED: Fourth-placed team in Kahutia Bowling Club’s Saint Patrick’s Day tournament, The Wearin’ of the Green, were (from left) Libby Clay (lead), Steve Jenkins (skip) and Joyce Wagner (director). Clay and Jenkins were named best-dressed “Colleen” and “Paddy” respectively. Pictures by Paul Rickard

BOWLS

The flag of Ireland was flying high for the 72 bowlers who decked themselves out in green for Kahutia Bowling Club’s Saint Patrick’s Day tournament, The Wearin’ of the Green.

Bowlers came from Wairoa, Tolaga Bay, Poverty Bay, Gisborne and Kahutia clubs to support the first staging of what seems likely to become an annual event.

Tournament winners were Murray Murton (skip), Steve Ward (director) and Jean Patterson (lead). They were the only team with four wins.

Second, third and fourth placings had to be decided by the number of ends won, as all the teams had three wins.

Second, with 33 ends won, were Vern Withey (s), Tony Dobson (d) and Joan Gledhill (l).

Third, with 32 ends, were Mo Kapua (s), Ngawai Turipa (d) and Norma Miller (l).

Fourth, with 30 ends, were Steve Jenkins (s), Joyce Wagner (d) and Libby Clay (l).

Carol Jukes presented the Robert and Ethel Jenkins Memorial Cup to the winners, as well as prizes down to fourth place, and a lucky-draw prize.

Robert and Ethel Jenkins were maternal grandparents of non-playing club supporter Trevor Jukes. M.E. Jukes and Son Ltd was principal sponsor of the tournament.

Teams played four games of two-bowl rotational triples playing to a time limit of 75 minutes.

Position rotations within the team took place in games 2 and 3. Winners were to be determined on games won, ends won and a differential if required.

With a 10am start, two games were played before lunch, followed by a “spider” with a spot prize for men and women on each green, then two games to complete the afternoon.

Winners of the spider were Trish Leach and Joe Wimutu.

Lunch was Irish stew, served in the appropriately decorated dining room, where the players sat at 12 tables, six to a table. Four “lucky shamrock stickers” were placed under chairs for spot prizes.

Prizes for the best-dressed “Colleen” and “Paddy” were awarded to Libby Clay and Steve Jenkins, who were members of the same team.

To qualify for the lucky-draw prize, all team members had to be present and not be among the other prize-winners. On the third attempt, the prize was awarded to Ray Taylor (s), Kathryn Flaugere (d) and Kandyce Bevan (l) — the only team with four losses.

The tournament was the brainchild of Tipperary-raised Marty Ryan, who thought “outside the square” and did a lot of preliminary work in sourcing satellite sponsors and advertising.

He and Ray and Judy Taylor ran a well-received tournament. Club members said it had been many years since a midweek tournament used the two greens at Kahutia.