On the mats — Indoor bowls news

NATIONAL FINALS BECKON: Dylan Foster (front) won the zone final of the one-to-five-year indoor bowls singles in Whakatane, while his elder brother Matthew (back right) and their father Mike Foster won the one-to-five-year pairs final. It means all three will be going to the New Zealand finals in Upper Hutt this year. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Fifteen-year-old Dylan Foster won the New Zealand zone final of the one-to-five-year singles in Whakatane. Foster won all four of his games to qualify for the sudden-death playoffs. The one-to-five-year events are for bowlers who have between one and five years’ bowling experience.

Out of 24 starters, 10 bowlers qualified. They included Dylan’s elder brother Matthew and their cousin Kayla Trowell.

In the last eight, Dylan was all class in a game against Kayla, winning 18-2, while Matthew defeated Beth Simpson 11-9.

In the semifinals, Dylan Foster defeated Bay of Plenty bowler Bruce Mapson 17-3. In the other semifinal, Matthew Foster, the national under-18 singles champion, had a shock loss to Tauranga’s Sarah Burke, who played a solid game.

Dylan Foster then beat Burke 11-7 in the final, and he will play in the New Zealand finals in Upper Hutt this year.

On the second day of play, the Foster Family had more success. Matthew, 17, teamed up with his father Mike Foster to win the zone final of the one-to-five-year pairs. They beat Sarah Burke and Beth Simpson 10-5 in the final.

After four ends of the 10-end final, the score was locked at 3-3. After seven ends the score was locked at 5-5 . But then the Fosters took charge, recording five unanswered points over the next three ends.

Six teams qualified in the pairs. In the last six, Dylan Foster and Kayla Trowell beat Tauranga’s Matt and Michael Burke 9-5, while Matthew and Mike Foster drew the bye into the semifinals, where they defeated Dylan Foster and Kayla Trowell 12-7, to book their place in the zone final against Burke and Simpson.

Victory in the final means Matthew and Mike Foster will also travel to Upper Hutt, to contest the national one-to-five-year pairs finals this year.