Men’s centre title goes with women’s success

CENTRE MEN'S TRIPLES WINNERS: Winners of the Terry Gardiner Memorial Cup for the centre men's open triples are (from left) Leighton Shanks, Geoff Pinn and skip Andrew Ball. Picture supplied

KAHUTIA Bowling Club teams achieved a notable double when they won both the women's and men's centre open triples tournaments this month.

The Kahutia team of Andrew Ball (skip), Leighton Shanks and Geoff Pinn beat the team of David File (s), Paddy Stewart and John Dawson (Te Karaka) 16-14 in the final at Poverty Bay Bowling Club.

Ball delivered the decisive bowl with his last delivery of the game.

His team were 16-13 ahead going into the last end but File moved the jack so that it was two feet from the ditch, with his team holding three shots. If they could keep that advantage, the game would go to an extra end.

However, Ball delivered his last bowl close to the jack. Only one File bowl was closer, which left the team from Te Karaka two shy of the Kahutia team's score for the match.

With his last bowl, File tried to restore his team's three-shot advantage for the end but was unsuccessful. This meant Ball, Shanks and Pinn beat File, Stewart and Dawson 16-14 in the final.

File, representing sponsor David File Decorators, presented the Terry Gardiner Memorial Cup to Ball's team at the prize-giving on the Sunday afternoon.

The Kahutia women's team of Ngamiro Allen, Dayvinia Mills and Karen Pinn won the women's centre open triples at Te Karaka on the same day, beating clubmates Glenys Whiteman (s), Lucy Shanks and Dianne Phillips 17-9 in the final (reported in Saturday's Herald).

Karen and Geoff Pinn have the distinction of being a married couple who are centre open women's and men's triples winners in the same year.

Ten teams enjoyed perfect weather and Poverty Bay Bowling Club's excellent greens for the centre open men's triples.

Taking part were three teams from the Poverty Bay club, three from Kahutia, two from Tolaga Bay, one team from Te Karaka and one from Gisborne.

The top eight teams qualified for post-section play on the Sunday.

Vern Alder (skip), Mark Walker and Ben Elkington from Tolaga Bay were the top qualifiers, with three wins, six points and a plus-24 differential.

Second-top qualifiers were Allan Parker (s), Joe Wimutu and Ray Young from Kahutia, with two wins and a draw, five points and a plus-21 differential.

The next six teams were Ball (s), Shanks and Pinn from Kahutia, with two wins, four points and a plus-one differential; Dave Hooper (s), Dawson Owen and Bruce Gledhill from Poverty Bay, with two wins, four points and a zero differential; File (s), Stewart and Dawson from Te Karaka, with one win, two points and a plus-six differential; Peter Mitchell (s), George Tamihana and Mike Namana from Tolaga Bay, with one win, two points and a minus-three differential; Gerry Kora (s), John Kora and John Andrews from Poverty Bay, with one win, two points and a minus-four differential; and Malcolm Trowell (s), Arthur Hawes and Boon McIlroy from Gisborne, with one win, two points and a minus-14 differential.

Alder beat Trowell in the first round of post-section play but then lost to File, who had beaten Hooper in the first round.

Ball beat Mitchell in the first round and then beat Kora, who had beaten Young in the first round.

The final was a great game. On the 16th end, Ball was ahead 15-13. Ball took another shot on the 17th end to make it 16-13.

File's team had a chance of grabbing victory late in the game but the one-shot advantage they held for the last end was not enough to overhaul Ball's trio.