Poverty Bay-East Coast bowlers open rep season in winning style

The Poverty Bay-East Coast indoor bowls team who beat their Hawke's Bay counterparts in Napier are (back row from left): Keith Setter (captain), Warren Gibb, Doc Tipene, Mike Foster, Jaykwan Casey, Sean Haskins, Dylan Foster, David Lynn and Royden Owen; (front row from left): Karyn Foster, Tina Smith (reserve), Marise Raklander, Sophie Haskins, Zoe Trowell, Lois Lamont, Pauline Stone, Nanette Treloar, Coralie Campbell-Whitehead (manager).

A perfect win record for Warren Gibb helped Poverty Bay-East Coast to Presidents Trophy glory over Hawke’s Bay in Napier at the weekend.

A 16-player Poverty Bay- East Coast (PBEC) team headed south for their first representative fixture of the 2026 season.

They returned home the victors by 85.5 to 74.5.

The three rounds of fours proved crucial to PBEC’s overall win.

The visitors started strongly by winning all four games in the first round of fours to lead 16-0.

Hawke’s Bay chipped away at the deficit in the following rounds of pairs and singles to trail 38-34 after round three.

However, another good round of fours for PBEC – three wins from four games – put them ahead 50-38 at the end of the first day.

On day two, Hawke’s Bay again secured more wins in the pairs and singles rounds to cut PBEC’s lead to 75.5-68.5 after round six.

It left PBEC needing at least a win and a draw in the last round of fours, which they easily achieved, securing two wins and a draw.

PBEC’s stand-out player was Warren Gibb, who, in a purple patch of form, had seven wins from seven games.

Other top performances came from Karen Foster with five wins and a draw, Keith Setter with four wins and three draws, and Marise Raklander, Lois Lamont and Sean Haskins with five wins apiece.

The next representative fixtures are the Hone Trophy in Tauranga and the Bill Moore Trophy event in Whakatāne at the end of April.