Two strong wins for Nathan Trowell

Nathan Trowell: Winner of the local sections of the New Zealand under-18 singles and the Henselite Open Singles. Picture by Liam Clayton

Fifteen-year-old Gisborne Boys’ High School maestro Nathan Trowell had a weekend to remember. First he won the local section of the New Zealand Under-18 Singles, then he had a comprehensive win in the local final of the Henselite Open Singles.

Last Saturday, 16 indoor bowlers took part in the junior singles event. Trowell won all four of his qualifying games, then beat Ilminster Intermediate student Campbell Olsen. In the semifinal, Trowell defeated nine-year-old Adam Rickard 12-4.

He then came up against his cousin Matthew Foster in a replay of the 2019 final. Trowell had a great start to lead 5-2 after five of the scheduled nine ends. Solid draw bowls rewarded Trowell with two more points on End 6 and he was in command at 7-2. Foster got a point back on the seventh end but on End 8 Trowell again outdrew his cousin to pick up two more points, and the finalists shook hands at 9-3.

Trowell will represent Poverty Bay-East Coast at the New Zealand finals in Porirua in late August, having done so last year as well.

Foster will also represent Poverty Bay-East Coast in the finals. The New Zealand Indoor Bowls Committee decided to allow both winners and runners-up in local events to contest the national finals.

They could even end up playing against each other in the New Zealand final as well.

In the local finals of the New Zealand Henselite Singles on Sunday, Nathan Trowell qualified for the sudden-death playoffs with three wins and a draw.

Seven bowlers from 18 starters qualified for the playoffs. Nathan had to play his father, Malcolm Trowell, in the quarterfinal. Dad was on the back foot throughout, and lost 9-2 .

Nathan Trowell then came up against Matthew Foster again, in the semifinal, and won 9-3. In the other semifinal, David Lynn beat Warren Gibb 11-7.

Trowell picked up two points on the first end of the nine-end final. Lynn then picked up one shot on each of the second and third ends to draw level at 2-2.

The fourth end was the best of the game. Lynn, two or three down on the head, gained the shot by wicking off some front bowls to end up with his bowl within millimetres of the kitty.

Trowell had a look at Lynn’s shot bowl, then played a perfect run shot on to it, pushing it off the mat and leaving Trowell with four shots and a 6-2 lead.

Lynn played a good fifth end to close it to 6-4. From then on, though, it was all Trowell, who showed Lynn, holder of over 100 centre titles, how much he had learned over his six years of playing.

Trowell picked up one point on End 6 and two points on each of ends 7 and 8 to lead 11-4. That left Lynn no option other than to shake hands.

Trowell will now represent Poverty Bay-East Coast in the new event format, which applies for this year only due to Covid-19. He will have to go to a zone final in mid-August to play the winners from Thames Valley, Tauranga, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. The winner of that round-robin event will contest the New Zealand final in Masterton in September.

Young gun Trowell has amassed 10 centre titles already. He has a huge future in sport, whether it be indoor bowls, cricket or football, or all of them.