On the mats - Indoor bowls news

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

SIXTEEN-year-old Gisborne Boys' High School student Nathan Trowell is the North Island secondary schools' indoor bowls singles champion for 2021.

Trowell beat his cousin and fellow Gisborne Boys' High student Matthew Foster 12-7 in the 12-end final at Mt Maunganui.

Playing consistent draw bowls, Trowell took an early seven-point lead.

Foster played some great run shots as he staged a comeback, and after 10 ends he had closed the deficit to four, with the score at 11-7.

However, on the 11th end Trowell scored one point to give him an unbeatable 12-7 lead.

Of the 63 players who started the event, 25 players qualified for the sudden-death playoffs.

Rachael Rickard from Lytton High School reached the last 25. Tawhai Moran-Tumene from Lytton High reached the last 16, as did Dylan Foster from Gisborne Boys' High. Hina Preddey from Lytton High defeated Dylan Foster to reach the last eight. Lytton High School's Kayla Trowell, younger sister of Nathan, won the plate event for non-qualifiers.

Brothers Matthew and Dylan Foster, both of Gisborne Boys' High, won gold in the North Island secondary schools' pairs event.

They won a nail-biting final 11-10 on an extra end against last year's winners, Nathan Trowell (their cousin) and Marc Simmons, also from Gisborne Boys' High.

After four ends of the nine-end final, Trowell led 6-2, but the Fosters fought back to be level 6-6 after six ends.

The Fosters then took an 8-6 lead after End 7, only for Trowell and Simmons to fight back, scoring four shots on End 8 to lead 10-8 going into the last end.

On this end, Matthew Foster played a perfectly weighted shot to pick up two points. With the game level at 10-10, an extra end had to be played.

On this, the Fosters held two shots. Trowell moved the jack with a good shot, but it wasn't enough to get the shot for a win.

NATHAN Trowell, and Matthew and Dylan Foster were also victorious in the Tom Duffin Fours, this time teaming up with three-time New Zealand champion Arnold Hutchins. They defeated Bryan Pulley, Kaye Easton, Kevin Lee and Mike Foster 8-7 in the nine-end final.