Success for Poverty Bay-East Coast indoor bowlers from Hamilton to Balclutha

The Poverty Bay-East Coast junior representative team with the Poverty Bay/North Taranaki Challenge Shield, back (from left): Jay Casey (manager), Quaylahn Casey, Jaykwan Casey, Sean Haskins, Jakeb Te Kani-Brown and Adam Rickard. Front: Sophie Haskins, Zoe Trowell, Liam Pinn and Malcolm Trowell (coach).

Poverty Bay-East Coast indoor bowlers were prominent in competition the length and breadth of New Zealand last weekend.

The PBEC junior squad travelled to Hamilton, where they played a challenge match against a Taranaki/North Taranaki combined junior team on Saturday.

The challenge comprised five rounds – two singles, two pairs and one fours.

The teams finished on equal points so shared the trophy.

Quaylahn Casey was PBEC’s top scorer, with three wins and two draws.

The PBEC juniors contested the Membery Pearce tournament the following day against King Country, North Taranaki, Tauranga and Waikato.

PBEC and Tauranga had a great tussle. Going into the last round, only three points separated them, but Tauranga had the better round to clinch the title.

Tauranga ended on 93 points, Poverty Bay 82, Waikato 68, North Taranaki 52 and King Country 15.

The Poverty Bay-East Coast senior representative team with the Nolan Richardson Trophy (from left): Steve Goldsbury, Doc Tipene, Marise Raklander, Coralie Campbell-Whitehead, Sylvia Groves (reserve/manager), Warren Gibb, Lois Lamont, Rachael Rickard and Andrew Rickard.

An eight-strong PBEC senior rep team travelled to Ōpōtiki on Sunday for the annual Nolan Richardson Trophy challenge against Bay of Plenty.

PBEC struggled in the first round, losing both games of fours. They narrowed the margin in the second round, winning five from eight games of singles, but lost the next round of singles five games to three.

The points were shared equally in the subsequent two rounds of pairs, leaving PBEC eight points adrift heading into the final round.

The men’s fours winners from the North Island-South Island fixture (from left): Dylan Foster (Poverty Bay), Jordan Keene (Hutt Valley), Paul Wright (Auckland) and Shaun Blackbourn (Waikato).

Both PBEC fours dug deep to win their last games – one team coming back from 7-2 down to win 9-7 – and level the score at 36 points each.

Top PBEC scorers for the event were Warren Gibb and Rachael Rickard, with four wins.

The men’s pairs winners from the North Island-South Island fixture (from left): Matthew Foster (Poverty Bay) and Alex Reed (Waikato).

PBEC brothers Matthew and Dylan Foster travelled to Balclutha to represent the North Island in the North-versus-South fixture on Saturday.

Although the South Island won the overall match (for the first time since 2003), Matthew and Dylan won medals – Matthew in the men’s pairs (two wins from three games) and Dylan in the men’s fours (two wins and a draw).