On the mats — indoor bowls news

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Twelve-year-old Adam Rickard won the Poverty Bay-East Coast Indoor Bowls Handicap Singles final 12-11 against Marise Raklander in a close final.

Rickard, on a four-point start, and Raklander, on a five-point start, went bowl for bowl in the nine-end final, but Rickard triumphed.

Rickard beat Bryan Pulley 13-12 in his semifinal, while Racklander defeated Hina Preddey 14-10 in the other semifinal

Adam, a Gisborne Intermediate student, started playing indoor bowls at eight years of age and has gone from strength to strength. He is a regular member of the Poverty Bay-East Coast Top 16 team. He also teamed up with Year 8 Gis Int student Sean Haskins two weeks ago to win the intermediate schools event in Tauranga.

Mike Foster, Dylan Foster, Matthew Foster and Nathan Trowell won the Tom Duffin Fours 12-5 against Steve Goldsbury, Doc Tipene, Bruce Easton and Warren Gibb.

Mike Foster was called in at the last minute to play, and he didn't disappoint. He played great draw bowls to help his team to victory.

After three ends of the nine-end final, the score was locked at 2-2, but then Trowell's team went up a notch.

This was Mike Foster's second centre title, the 10th titles for his sons Dylan and Matthew, and the 24th for Trowell, who is Mike's nephew and his sons' cousin.