Whiteman too sharp for her old adversary

The women's open pairs crown went to Glenys Whiteman (left) and Francie Adair.

?The women’s section was played at Poverty Bay Bowling Club on Saurday, with 14 teams entered.

Four 15-end games with a time limit of two hours were completed. The top eight teams based on wins and net total shots qualified for post-section play at Kahutia the next day.

Top qualifiers were Wairoa’s Glenda Kapene and Donna Smith with four wins for 12 points.

In second place, Marie Wright and Dayvinia Mills (Kah) had three wins and a draw for 10 points — the same as clubmates Glenys Whiteman and Francie Adair.

Gisborne’s Carol Hawes and Lesley McIntosh and Poverty Bay’s Erin Sutherland and Joy Davis each had seven points.

Qualifying on six points were Ngawai Turipa and Kathy Carroll (PB), Bobbie Beattie and Tanya Harrison (Gis), and Judy Taylor and Lesley Seymour (Kah).

In the quarterfinals, Kapene sneaked past Sutherland 18-17 after they were locked at 17-all going into the last end.

Turipa and Carroll were too good for Taylor and Seymour, winning 20-7.

Beattie and Harrison were always ahead of Wright and Mills and won 18-11.

Whiteman came from 11-14 behind to beat Hawes 17-15.

The semifinal between Turipa and Carroll and Whiteman and Adair started off as a close affair, with Turipa ahead 8-7 after nine ends.

Whiteman and Adair went on a scoring blitz from the 10th end and cruised to a 22-10 victory after 17 completed ends.

Beattie and Harrison raced to a 16-5 lead after nine ends against Kapene and Smith. However, the Wairoa pair dug deep to almost stage a remarkable comeback — Beattie winning 19-18.

Whiteman and Beattie are old adversaries from the Riverside Women’s Bowling Club days and another tight tussle was expected.

Whiteman was ahead only 11-10 after 11 ends but the Kahutia pair found another gear to keep Beattie scoreless over the next six ends to win 21-10.

Glenys Whiteman extended her national record of centre titles to 62 and Adair added another bar to her Gold Star to bring her total to 30.

On Sunday, 10 teams entered a consolation tournament for non-qualifiers at Poverty Bay, with club member Jeff Davis the organiser.

Davis and skip Larry Kaloucava won the event from Kahutia’s Mike Howes and Ray Young.