Bowls: Flight delay leaves Bay contingent in tailspin

Bruce Stewart (left), Dudley Hunt, and Ian Mason from Havelock North Bowling club.

An hour-long flight delay was a contributing factor to the Havelock North team's failure to qualify at the Tiger Turf $20,000 national bowls final in Auckland on Saturday.

"When we got to the Hawke's Bay Airport we were told of the delay. Another three teams were waiting for us at the Auckland Airport when we got there and the delay got to us mentally ... at this level you have to brush these things off and we couldn't," Havelock North player Ian Mason said.

Mason, Bruce Stewart and Dudley Hunt lost their first game to eventual title winners Peter Bell, Bob Wilson and Bill Kinghan of the Meadowbank club in Oamaru on a tie-breaker end.

They won their second game at the eight-team final played at the Epsom club against the Putaruru trio of Malcolm Moore, Kerry Margan and Shane Bowe before losing their third to the Lyall Bay, Wellington trio of Carl Northcott, Rob Ashton and Rob Veale on a tie-breaker.

Ashton will play for New Zealand in the Professional Bowls Association test against Australia in Hastings this week.

Havelock North finished third in the four-team section and only two teams from each section qualified for the semifinals.

The Meadowbank trio beat the Whanganui team of Dianne Patterson, Ray Savage and Les Murcott on a tie-breaker end in the final.