The Hawes team were the fortunate team to qualify with only two wins and a differential of plus 12.
In the semifinals, Davy beat Brown 17-11 and Whiteman beat Hawes 16-10.
The final was close. Davy made the early running, leading 8-3 after four ends.
By the 10th end, Whiteman had come back to lead 12-8.
After 14 ends the score was 13-all, and the final, 15th end was a nail-biter.
Whiteman’s Dayvinia Mills claimed the vital point.
Both teams deserve praise as the wind was tricky and constantly changing direction.
The winning team members were Whiteman (skip), Francie Adair, Mills and Lucy Shanks.
The runners-up were Davy (skip), Kay Goldsbury, Kym Brown and Ginny Sherriff — all relatively new players who should be well pleased with their efforts.
Skips of qualifying teams in the men’s competition were Vern Marshall, David File, Steve Goldsbury and Bob McIlroy, who won two games but had the best differential of plus 13. McIlroy’s team had lost games to File and Goldsbury.
In the semifinals, Marshall defeated File 13-6, while McIlroy and Goldsbury were locked together on 11-all at the bell. The extra end went McIlroy’s way, and his team proceeded to the final.
Marshall’s four scored seven early points, only for McIlroy to close it to 7-6 after four ends.
McIlroy then hit the front, at one stage leading 13-9.
But over the latter part of the 15-end game, Marshall’s team pulled away to win 22-15.
The winning team members were Marshall (skip), Alastair Macpherson, Murray Duncan and Mick Maunder.
Well done to Kahutia for winning both the women’s and the men’s open fours. These teams will represent Gisborne-East Coast at the next level.
Six teams contested the consolation event at Poverty Bay.
Lex Kennedy (skip), Val McGreevy, Dave Hooper and Jeff Davis prevailed over Tim Sherriff, Tom Terekia, Dennis Raggett and Maurice Taylor.
Kennedy’s winning team achieved four wins to Sherriff’s three.
The women had four qualifiers and the men also had four teams qualifying. To qualify, teams had to win at least three games, but if only three teams achieved three wins, the next best team would bring the post-section field up to four.
Thanks go to those who made their facilities available, and performed the duties of recording and umpiring.
Last weekend the men’s and women’s centre open pairs were held.
Twenty men’s teams contested the Weatherley Brothers Memorial at the Gisborne greens, while 14 women’s pairs contested the Bowls NZ President’s Trophy at Kahutia.
The cold and showery weather was not conducive to good bowls.
The four qualifying women’s pairs were skipped by Kay Goldsbury, Beverly Davy (both of Gisborne), Judy Taylor (Kahutia) and Ora Peipi (Poverty Bay).
In the semifinals, Taylor beat Goldsbury 18-10, while Peipi beat Davy 15-6.
Taylor then had a good win in the final, beating Peipi 23-11.
Supporting their skips were Ginny Sherriff (Goldsbury), Kym Brown (Davy), Val McGreevy (Peipi) and Marie Wright (Taylor).
Wright did well in her support of Taylor, a very underrated player who performed with distinction.
The men had eight qualifiers, skipped by Vern Marshall, Arthur Hawes, Murray Murton, Michael Howes, Jamey Ferris, Bob McIlroy, Steve Goldsbury and Kahu Kerekere.
New to this level of bowls were Howes (Kahutia) and Kerekere (Gisborne).
Last year, Murray Murton and Charlie Ure were the winners.
In the quarterfinals, Marshall defeated Hawes 17-12, Murton defeated Howes 25-16, Ferris defeated McIlroy 16-13 and Goldsbury defeated Kerekere 19-15.
Goldsbury beat Ferris 13-8 in one semifinal, while Marshall defeated Murton 18-15 in the other.
In the final, Goldsbury got away to a flyer and won the first six points. By the ninth end, his lead was narrower, 8-6.
Goldsbury then pulled away to 15-7, but a four-point glitch brought Marshall back into the game, with the score at 15-11.
But Goldsbury and his partner, Robin Jefferson, kept the pressure on and the final score was 20-11 in their favour.
Goldsbury and Jefferson were consistent throughout, and will represent Gisborne-East Coast at the next level.
The weather nearly won, but not quite. It was cold and the wind was changeable.
Thanks go to Kahutia and Gisborne for the use of their facilities.
