Powell, Flaugere the Bowls Gisborne-East Coast centre women's pairs champions

WELL DONE: Bowls Gisborne-East Coast life member Bobbie Beattie (centre) congratulates centre women’s pairs champions Kathryn Flaugere (left) and skip Jan Powell, of Poverty Bay Bowling Club, on their success. Picture supplied

Jan Powell and Kathryn Flaugere overcame a slow start to win the Bowls Gisborne-East Coast centre women's pairs tournament at Kahutia Bowling Club.

Poverty Bay Bowling Club members Powell (skip) and Flaugere won only one of their three games in section play, but it was enough for them to qualify for the knockout phase.

From there they won three in a row, defeating Kahutia pair Dayvinia Mills (s) and Ngamiro Allen 18-13 in the final.

Nine teams entered the competition — three from Kahutia, three from Poverty Bay, and one team each from Gisborne, Te Karaka and Tolaga Bay.

Teams played three games, each lasting 18 ends or two hours, whichever came first. The top eight went through to post-section play on the Sunday, with single elimination.

Pairs who qualified for post-section play were: Mills (s) and Allen (three wins and a differential of +67); Glenys Whiteman (s) and Emily Hongara, of Kahutia (two wins, +26); Dianne Phillips (s) and Karen Pinn, of Kahutia (two wins, +16); Joy Davis (s) and Jessie Davis-Law, of Poverty Bay (two wins, +15); Tanya Harrison (s) and Donna Smith, of Gisborne (two wins, -1); Powell (s) and Flaugere (one win, -6); Del Tamanui (s) and Diane Murray, of Te Karaka (one win, -9); Ngawai Turipa (s) and Anna Colvin, of Poverty Bay (one win, -19).

In the first round of post-section play, Mills and Allen beat Turipa and Colvin 19-12, Harrison and Smith beat Davis and Davis-Law in a close game, Powell and Flaugere beat Phillips and Pinn 14-11, and Tamanui and Murray beat Whiteman and Hongara 22-8.

In the next round, Mills and Allen beat Harrison and Smith 16-14 to secure their place in the final. Powell and Flaugere also had a close game, beating Tamanui and Murray 17-15.

In the final, Powell and Flaugere played consistently well to beat Mills and Allen 18-13 and win the centre women's pairs tournament.