Whiteman, Trowell the winning skips in Bowls Gisborne East Coast Centre triples

CLOSE-RUN CONTEST: Glenys Whiteman (Kahutia) follows her bowl while opposing triples skip Sarah Brown (Te Karaka) waits. Brown's team won this game but lost to another team. Whiteman's team won the title due to a better differential. Picture by Paul Rickard

The Bowls Gisborne East Coast Centre triples winners have been found.

In the women's competition, the Kahutia team of Glenys Whiteman, Marie Wright and Paige Richter came through with a better differential than Te Karaka trio Sarah Brown, Del Tamanui and Sharon Olsen.

On Saturday, in sweltering conditions, the women played three rounds. Brown skipped the only unbeaten team at that stage and they looked favourites. They had dealt to teams skipped by Barbara Gibson, Whiteman and Bobbie Beattie.

Carol Hawes had lost just one game on the first day, to Whiteman, but couldn't buy a win on the second.

On the second day, in conditions just as hot, the women had two more rounds to play.

The first round opened up the tournament when the Poverty Bay Bowling Club team skipped by Jan Powell defeated Brown convincingly.

It now came down to the last round, and Brown just got home, 15-13, against Hawes.

This left it up to Whiteman's team to determine who would be crowned victors. They took full advantage and racked up a few shots over Powell.

Richter, in her few years of playing, has been improving every season and did what was required of a lead for Whiteman. Wright played her usual steady game. Overall, the Whiteman team's determination and aggression saw them through.

Brown can be happy with her team's performance, too . . . they were the only team to beat Whiteman. Coming into the team for a withdrawal, Tolaga Bay's Sharon Olsen was steady as a rock for her teammates.

The Hawes team didn't seem to be able to get anything going and others took advantage of that.

The junior team of Angela Gibson-Sam, Barbara Gibson and Diane Oates had a couple of decisive wins and almost caused a major upset. They beat Powell and Beattie and just lost to Whiteman 15-12 after being one behind playing the last end.

It was a great effort and showed they can front it with the more experienced teams.

This win gave Whiteman her 66th centre title, Wright her 14th and Richter her first. Well done.

The men's competition had no major surprises as far as qualifying went.

Ten teams stepped on to the greens on Saturday and eight returned on Sunday.

The Hastings Kia Toa team of Charlie Haronga, Ray Scott and Bill Buchan took top seeding with three wins and a draw on the first day.

They were followed by teams skipped by Bob McIlroy, Jamey Ferris, Malcolm Trowell, Murray Murton, Steve Berezowski, Vern Marshall and David File.

In post-section play, Haronga beat File, Marshall beat McIlroy, Ferris beat Berezowski, and Trowell beat Murton.

In the semifinal, Ferris took on Marshall. For much of the game, it was tight, but Ferris managed to wear Marshall down and won 18-14.

Haronga and Trowell also had a battle, neither team giving way.

Playing the last end, the Haronga team were 15-14 up but three down on the head with one bowl in hand.

Haronga studied the head for a couple of minutes before deciding what to do. In intense heat and under pressure, he sent his bowl down wide with too much weight.

The spectators expected good steady bowls in the final and they weren't disappointed.

Robin Jefferson played his usual consistent game, backed by Ricky Miller, with Ferris doing what he could.

For Trowell's team, Beattie matched Jefferson, but the difference was Arthur Hawes playing in the middle.

Hawes has been playing the best bowls I have seen him play for a few years and he was the glue that set up the heads for his younger skip. He was never far away, end after end after end.

Trowell backed up his team and showed how well and confidently he is playing at the moment.

Ferris's team played great bowls, only to be outmatched by Trowell's. No matter what Ferris's team tried, Trowell's team were equal to the task, and won 18-12.

Over the two days, good bowls were played by the women and the men, even the two teams who missed the cut. I'm sure they will come back wiser and better next time around.

This win gave Hawes a hat-trick of triples wins — he won this tourney last year and the year before. It also gave him his 16th centre title, Beattie his 18th and Trowell his sixth.

Special mention goes to Judy Blair for sponsoring the women and David File Decorators for sponsoring the men.