Hawke’s Bay retain Challenge Trophy

UNBEATEN: Malcolm Trowell, above, and Vern Marshall had three wins and a draw from their four games for Gisborne East Coast against Hawke’s Bay in Gisborne at the weekend. Picture by Paul Rickard

Bowls Hawke’s Bay made no race of it against Bowls Gisborne East Coast in the annual intercentre fixture for the Challenge Trophy on Gisborne Bowling Club greens at the weekend.

When the scores were added up after the end of play on Sunday afternoon, Hawke’s Bay had accumulated 103 points to Gisborne East Coast’s 61. The differential of plus 154 against the host’s minus 154 confirmed the visitors’ superiority over the two days.

Local pundits felt the Hawke’s Bay players might struggle to come to terms with the speed of the Gisborne club’s immaculate maniototo greens. Over the years, artificial carpet greens have become more prominent in the Hawke’s Bay Centre and, overall, were slower than the natural grass greens here.

However, after a few ends the visitors came to grips with the conditions and the first-round results confirmed this.

In the men’s first round, Hawke’s Bay’s experienced singles players Neil Barron and Paul Harrison beat local players John Kanawa 25-20 and Jamey Ferris 25-19 respectively.

However, in the fours, Kahutia’s Vern Marshall skipped Malcolm Trowell, Bruno Lourie and Murray Murton to a convincing 20-10 win.

Wairoa’s Graham Fitzpatrick and Gisborne’s Charlie Ure showed good form for their GEC Blue side in their first singles games, Fitzpatrick winning 25-10 and Ure, 25-16.

In the women’s singles, Hawke’s Bay’s Natarsha Grimshaw beat Kahutia’s Dayvinia Mills 25-10 but this was offset by Gisborne’s Tanya Harrison’s 25-13 win against Lynda Francis.

Local bowlers Queenie Takurua and Lucy Shanks combined experience and youth in the pairs for a 28-6 victory over Hawke’s Bay’s Meri Nepia and Cheryn Menhennett.

The Hawke’s Bay Black team, headed by the well-performed Gaylene Harvey and Sheryl Viggers, had a clean sweep in the first round against GEC Blue.

The second round on Saturday afternoon was all fours games.

In the men’s section, the teams skipped by John Kanawa and Pat Golder drew 13-all, while Vern Marshall’s team continued on their winning way, dominating Neil Barron’s side 19-5.

GEC Blue made it two out of two in the fours with good wins to Arthur Hawes 17-14 and Dave Beattie 15-13.

In the women’s section, Hawke’s Bay’s dominance continued in the fours, Robyn Wallace getting home 14-9 against Poverty Bay’s Ora Peipi and Harvey winning 16-11 against Gisborne’s Ginny Sherriff.

GEC Red fared no better with two losses as well. Dayvinia Mills’s team lost 15-9 and Queenie Takurua’s side lost 23-7.

After Saturday’s play, Hawke’s Bay were ahead, 46 points to 25, and the writing was on the wall for the host centre.

In the third round on Sunday morning, Golder beat Ferris 25-23 in a close one, and John Kanawa beat Harrison 25-12.

In the pairs, Hawke’s Bay Development players Aaron Bryant and Jon Pearce pipped Gisborne’s Steve Goldsbury and Bob McIlroy 19-18.

Vern Marshall’s four made it three out of three with an 18-11 victory, staking their claim for inclusion in the centre intercentre fours team.

New Hawke’s Bay men’s selector Tony Terry took advantage of the rule allowing team changes between rounds, and Hawke’s Bay singles players Neil Barron and Dave Henderson then defeated Fitzpatrick 25-22 and Ure 25-18 respectively.

Dave Beattie’s four just got home 13-12 to register another win for GEC Blue.

The women’s third-round results followed the previous day’s pattern in the singles, Grimshaw defeating Harrison 25-14 and Francis defeating Mills 25-24 in a marathon struggle.

A 16-15 pairs victory for Val McGreevy and Lucy Shanks was offset by Takurua’s 13-12 loss in the fours.

For GEC Blue, Poverty Bay’s Joy Davis had an excellent 22-19 win against national mixed pairs titleholder Sheryl Viggers, while Hawke’s Bay’s Gaylene Harvey had to pull out all the stops against Poverty Bay’s Ngawai Turipa, who put up a great fight before Harvey got home 25-21.

After the third round, Hawke’s Bay led the points race 79-40.The only local interest in the outcome now was to see how many of the 16 pairs games GEC could win to improve their tally.

GEC Red and Blue teams both managed 11-all points draws with their Hawke’s Bay counterparts.

GEC Red recorded two draws. Kanawa and Goldsbury finished at 15-all, while the 13-all draw achieved by Marshall and Trowell gave them three wins and a draw from their four games at the weekend.

High school student Luke Sanders, of the Poverty Bay club, was a late replacement for Kahutia’s Mick Maunder in one of the pairs games. Sanders and Tolaga Bay’s Chas Henry had a 19-18 win.

Gisborne’s Ginny Sherriff and Poverty Bay’s Ngawai Turipa can be well pleased with their 14-all draw against Hawke’s Bay’s top pair of Harvey and Viggers.

Harrison and Mills sneaked home 18-17, while Takurua and Beattie combined well to beat Grimshaw and Tasha Haronga 19-13.

The overall result for Round 4 was a further 24 points to Hawke’s Bay and 21 to GEC.

Hawke’s Bay women’s selector Lillian Tukiri was presented with the Challenge Trophy after lunch on Sunday afternoon.

A major tournament such as this can be run only with the help of volunteers. Gisborne Bowling Club did a great job hosting the event, thanks to their members, who included club caterer Carol Hawes and helpers Tim Sherriff, Beverly Davy and Dan Barr, umpires Mark Bain, Tam Buckingham and Mike Chisholm, and the singles markers.

Special mention goes to the club’s greenkeeper, Jamey Ferris, who produced top-class playing surfaces again. The Hawke’s Bay bowlers were well pleased to have the opportunity to play on these outstanding greens.