A Gisborne-East Coast/Hawke’s Bay/Wellington composite team finished seventh in the New Zealand Under-26 Five-a-side Bowls Tournament in Wellington. They are (from left) Marshall Kenny, Veeshaye Smiler, Kyle Pinn, Jason Wong, Liam Pinn and manager Geoff Pinn. Photo / Clara Taingahue
A Gisborne-East Coast/Hawke’s Bay/Wellington composite team finished seventh in the New Zealand Under-26 Five-a-side Bowls Tournament in Wellington. They are (from left) Marshall Kenny, Veeshaye Smiler, Kyle Pinn, Jason Wong, Liam Pinn and manager Geoff Pinn. Photo / Clara Taingahue
A composite Gisborne-East Coast/Hawke’s Bay/Wellington team finished seventh in the New Zealand Under-26 Five-a-side Bowls Tournament in Wellington.
Fourteen-year-old twins Kyle and Liam Pinn (of the Kahutia and Poverty Bay clubs), Veeshaye Smiler (Tolaga Bay), Jason Wong (Taradale) and Marshall Kenny (Silverstream) beat a Dunedin combination in the playofffor seventh and eighth places.
The teams met – for the second time in the tournament – on the third and last day to settle their placings.
Kenny (skip) and Liam Pinn had a 23-15 pairs win against Dunedin’s Mitchell Scott (s) and Jordan McEwan.
Liam Pinn sends down a bowl during the New Zealand Under-26 Five-a-side Bowls Tournament in Wellington.
In the first game between these teams, in round 1, Kyle Pinn (s), Wong and Smiler beat the Dunedin triples combination 17-9.
Kyle Pinn follows the fate of his bowl.
Dunedin beat Kenny (s) and Liam Pinn 16-11 in the pairs.
In round 2, a Canterbury player beat Wong 21-12 in the singles. In the fours, Canterbury beat Kenny (s), the Pinn brothers and Smiler 20-15.
A Wellington combination beat Kyle Pinn (s), Wong and Smiler 28-10 in the round 3 triples.
Kenny (s) and Liam Pinn had a good game against the 2025 national champion of champions winning men’s pair, James Cameron-Powell (s) and Jordan Keene. The Wellington combination won 16-13.
The Gisborne composite team lost the pairs and triples against Nulook Nomads in round 4. Lee Warburton (s) and Adam Baillie beat Kenny (s) and Liam Pinn 39-7. The triples game was neck and neck, with Brady Amer (s), Liam Keegan and Caitlin Thomson beating Kyle Pinn (s), Wong and Smiler 16-13.
A strong Taranaki team beat Kyle (s) and Liam Pinn, Kenny and Smiler 21-7 in the round 5 fours, and Briar Atkinson beat Wong 21-11 in the singles.
Tolaga Bay's Veeshaye Smiler watches the path of her bowl.
In round 6, Wong beat Auckland’s Liam Hill 21-14 in the singles. After five ends of the fours, Liam (s) and Kyle Pinn, Kenny and Smiler led 9-1. The Auckland four of Adam Blucher (s), David Motu, Hannah Dawson and Ryan Hill then clawed back the deficit.
The score was 12-12 on the last end when Motu moved the jack to take two shots. Liam Pinn tried to play the shot bowl out but was unsuccessful, leaving Auckland with a 14-12 win.
Wairarapa pair Taui White (s) and Harry Hamlyn beat Liam Pinn (s) and Kenny 18-9 in round 7. In the triples, the Gisborne composite team of Kyle Pinn (s), Wong and Smiler beat Rebecca Hamlyn (s), Tessa Stokes and Trent Walker 18-12.
The competition was great experience for the younger members of the Gisborne-East Coast/Hawke’s Bay/Wellington composite team, as they were often up against teams whose members had played in several U26 tournaments.
