Gisborne-East Coast were surprise leaders of the women’s Octagonal bowls tournament after the first two rounds on Gisborne Bowling Club’s greens today (Friday).
They won all four disciplines against Taranaki in the morning, and were the only team with a 100% record in the first round.
Dayvinia Millswon the singles 25-8, Diane Tamanui-Murray (skip) and Marise Raklander won the pairs 23-15, Anna Colvin (s), Joanne Wroe and Jackie Horsfall won the triples 16-15, and Glenda Kapene (s), Jessie Davis-Law, Erica Tamanui-Thompson and Hiria Nepe won the fours 28-6.
The triples team were a shot down going into the last end, then got two shots to win by one. The pairs recovered from being six shots down to win by eight.
Taranaki are usually among the strongest teams in the Octagonal.
Gisborne-East Coast fours lead Hiria Nepe. Photo / John Gillies
Gisborne-East Coast have five juniors and five seniors in their team, and other teams are also looking to the future by including juniors (players with up to eight years of bowls experience) in their line-ups.
One of the notable bowlers not at the tournament is national champion and New Zealand representative Lisa White, usually a key member of the Kāpiti team.
Whanganui are not represented at this year’s women’s Octagonal, although they are entered in the men’s tournament being held in Napier this weekend.
In other first-round results from the women’s games yesterday, Manawatū had three wins with a +7 differential, Kāpiti had two wins with a +5 differential, Wairarapa had two wins with a –5 differential and Hawke’s Bay had one win with a –7 differential. Wellington had the bye.
In the second round, Gisborne-East Coast won only the singles (through Dayvinia Mills) against Wairarapa but their five points from five wins over two rounds kept them in front on differentials.
Wairarapa had five points and a differential of +15 (Gisborne-East Coast’s differential was +28 after two rounds).
Taranaki and Manawatū had four points, Wellington three and Hawke’s Bay one.
All games are being held on Gisborne Bowling Club’s greens, with Poverty Bay Bowling Club and Beetham Lifestyle Village artificial surfaces serving as back-up if the weather turns wet but not torrential.
