On the mats — indoor bowls news

FIRST CENTRE TITLE: Akuhata Keelan with the trophy for the Tom Duffin Fours, which he and teammates Lois Lamont, Nathan Trowell and David Lynn won. Picture by John Gillies

FIFTEEN-year-old Akuhata Keelan has won his first Poverty Bay-East Coast Centre indoor bowls title — the Sutherland Automotive Tom Duffin Fours — with teammates Lois Lamont, Nathan Trowell and David Lynn.

Keelan, playing lead, played great draw bowls for his team in their 10-2 win in the final against Wally Hiha, Dylan Foster, Matthew Foster and Malcolm Trowell.

In the nine-end final, Keelan, Lamont and Nathan Trowell set the ends up well and after End 4 they were 5-1 up.

On End 5, Malcolm Trowell’s team picked up one shot to then be 5-2 down.

However, Lynn’s team went into overdrive, picking up two points on End 6, one point on End 7 and two points on End 8 for a 10-2 lead. Malcolm Trowell conceded after the eighth end.

Keelan started playing indoor bowls at the age of 11 and was one of many young bowlers coached by Tony Garrett at Ilminster Intermediate.

During Keelan’s Ilminster years, he won a silver medal in the AIMS games as a member of the second-best indoor bowls school team in the competition, then won the gold medal a year later for top indoor bowls school team at the Games. He now attends Gisborne Boys’ High School.

From 2016, he has been a member of the Poverty Bay-East Coast Top 8 junior (under-18) team, who in 2016, 2017 and 2018 won New Zealand’s biggest Top 8 representative event — the Membery Pearce Shield — against teams from Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, North Taranaki, Auckland, Counties and Thames Valley.

Keelan appreciates the coaching he has received from Tony Garrett and now Malcolm Trowell, and was excited to be in the same team as multiple Poverty Bay-East Coast Centre titleholders Lynn, Lamont and Nathan Trowell.

He receives great whanau support from mum Jodie and dad Noble. His sister Te Rina is also a prominent player.

“Young guns like Akuhata are taking over the game here in Gisborne,” Lynn said.

“They have had great coaching, which has been of huge benefit to them. It’s great that most of our senior bowlers are taking the young ones into their teams, teaching them how to be future champions at higher levels in our sport.”

Keelan has been selected for the Poverty Bay-East Coast Top 8 open team, and will be heading to Hawke’s Bay to contest the Paterson Trophy against Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay and Waikato.