Kahutia team wins champ of champs

The Kahutia team of (from left) Liam Pinn, Salvie Rickard and skip Kyle Pinn won the Bowls Gisborne-East Coast junior optional two-bowl triples champion of champions tournament. Picture supplied

A Kahutia team recovered from a narrow first-round loss to win the Bowls Gisborne-East Coast junior optional two-bowl triples champion of champions tournament.

Teams from Gisborne, Kahutia, Te Karaka and Poverty Bay bowling clubs competed in this event in beautiful conditions at Poverty Bay Bowling Club.

The team from Kahutia — skip Kyle Pinn, director Liam Pinn and lead Salvie Rickard — won the tournament after five rounds of keenly contested bowling.

Competition was conducted under the two-life system. Matches comprised two sets, each of five ends, with a tiebreaker to be played if both teams won a set.

Gisborne defeated Kahutia in a Round 1 tiebreaker, then Kahutia won a tiebreaker against Poverty Bay in Round 2.

Round 4 was a provisional final between Gisborne and Kahutia. The Gisborne team of skip Ryan Douglas, director Nanette Treloar and lead Ron Nepe had two lives intact, but Kahutia defeated them, so they had to play each other again.

Kahutia won both sets in the final, 6-5 and 4-3, to win the championship.

Players appeared to enjoy the new format, and a good number of spectators supported their teams.