Junior Champ of Champs fours titles to Te Karaka, Poverty Bay

JUNIOR MEN’S CHAMP OF CHAMPS FOURS WINNERS: Poverty Bay four (from left)Otto Louw, skip Andrew Ball, Jack Clark and Gerry Kora. Pictures supplied

Bowls Gisborne East-Coast held its champion of champions fours tournament for junior women and men at Gisborne Bowling Club.

Only two clubs entered the junior women’s event while three were in the junior men’s event.

In the junior women’s first round, last year’s winners — Gisborne team Karen Pinn (skip), Adrienne Torrie (director), Libby Clay (two) and Joy McFarlane (lead) played Te Karaka team Barbara Tuhi (s), Erica Thompson (d), Alisha Ruru (two) and Andrea Tuhi (l).

Te Karaka won a close game 16-13.

One life down, Gisborne led the second game 18-15.

On the last end, Te Karaka held two shots and and Barbara Tuhi drew another shot to make it three.

With the prospect of an extra end if the scores were tied at 18-all, Pinn drew her last bowl and took the shot.

An attempted run shot by Tuhi was unsuccessful and Gisborne won 19-15.

In the decider, Gisborne had a good start to be three shots ahead of Te Karaka.

Te Karaka lifted their game and a series of good starts to the head helped them open up a big lead.

Gisborne fought back, claiming six shots in one end to stay in the game.

However, superb play and good positioning of bowls by Te Karaka enabled them to win comfortably and clinch the junior women’s champion of champions fours.

Gisborne, with Torrie in her final year as a junior, fought to the end of the game.

In the junior men’s first round, Geoff Pinn (s), Peter Ferris (d), George Stanley (two) and Chris Bunyan (l) from the Gisborne club beat Anton Tashkoff (s), Keith Tamanui(d), Zaedys Hughes (two) and Peter Hughes (l) from Tolaga Bay.

Poverty Bay’s Andrew Ball (s), Gerry Kora (d), Otto Louw (two) and Jack Clark (l) beat Tolaga Bay in the second round, which meant Tolaga Bay had lost both lives and would not advance.

Poverty Bay beat Gisborne in the third round, which left Gisborne with one life.

Gisborne and Poverty Bay met again in the potential final round.

Poverty Bay got out to an early lead but Gisborne played some great shots to keep it close.

Poverty Bay kept the pressure on, though, and took their chances to build on their lead.

Poverty Bay won the game 16-11 to take the junior men’s champion of champions fours with both lives intact.