Yesterday's 18-team Melbourne Cup mixed triples was one of the first tournaments to be played on the new green. Fraser played two and Linda Sowersby lead in a Robbie Burns-skipped team from the Kia Toa club which finished third.
The three members of the winning host club team, skip Garry Houlahan and the husband and wife pair of two Noel and lead Elaine Congdon, are all residents of the Summerset in the Orchard Retirement Village - sponsor of yesterday's tournament. A Havelock North trio of skip Graeme Fulford, two Brian Johnson and lead Bill Buchan finished second in a repeat of their finish at last month's open triples tournament at the Bluff Hill club.
Another triples tournament will be played as part of Saturday's opening celebrations for the new green which was a six-week project. Former New Zealand rep and Commonwealth Games medallist, club life member Katie Portas, will be among the guests.
Portas, 79, won gold in the visually-impaired bowls at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada. She carried the New Zealand flag at the closing ceremony and asked discus silver medallist Beatrice Faumuina to accompany her.
Swimmer Danyon Loader, who went on to become a double Olympic gold medallist, couldn't carry the flag because he had to make a mad dash with other elite swimmers to the World Championships, so chef de mission Dave Gerrard asked Portas, the only Kiwi female gold medallist if she wanted another woman to accompany her.
Portas no longer plays but regularly assists club members.