Bowls: Skip charts the final path

Skip Dave Selby reacts to a minor hiccup on the way to victory in yesterday's final of the Princess Alexandra Fours at Bowls Taradale. Photo/Paul Taylor

When it comes to bowls, the skip is always the boss ... during playing time at least.

In the case of Waikato skip and former Hawke's Bay cricket and rugby representative Dave Selby, he is the boss all the time, even when he isn't the skip. After he skipped his composite team to victory in the final of the 32-team Princess Alexandra Retirement Village Fours tournament at Bowls Taradale yesterday, his two, Mort Jones, gave Selby a suggestion.

"I've just rung the wife. We can stay another night and celebrate this properly," he said.

"You're the driver but I'm still the skip. We're going home to Hamilton tonight ... I'm looking forward to waking up in my own bed in the morning," Selby said before taking his quartet to collect the $2000 first prize.

Selby, three Ray Finlay and Jones, who also play for the Hillcrest club, and his brother and lead, Paul Selby, of Bowls Heretaunga were unbeaten in seven fixtures at the weekend and apart from when the score was 4-all after six ends always in control of their final against another composite team of Waipawa skip Michael Brown and the host club trio of three Bryan Godber, two Sheryl Glock and lead Johnny Ward.

It was the first tournament together for Selby, 66, and co.

"Ray [Finlay] and I have played together in teams for at least 10 years. This was Mort's first time away with us and because another of our regulars, Malcolm Moore, was unavailable I got hold of the brother ... had Malcolm come he would have been the skip and I would have played three," Selby, a halfback during the Magpies' 1960s Ranfurly Shield era, explained.

"We'll be back to try and retain this title next year ... this has been a great weekend. Two of our wins yesterday came on the final end and I try to get over here for tournaments two or three times a year," he added.

The playoff for third in the championship section between a team skipped by Ces Bell of Bowls Napier and a host club quartet skipped by Barry Wakely and including two New Zealand age group representatives, Angela Boyd and Richard Hocking, was declared a draw after bad light prevented an extra end being played. A Graham Baxter-skipped Taranaki four captured $800 with their plate final win against a Waikato four skipped by national singles champion Tony Fabling.

Another host club team skipped by Phil Young beat a Mere Nepia-skipped Bay View team in the plate playoff for third.

Almost as jubilant as the Selby-skipped team was the least experienced team in the tournament, a composite four skipped by Bay View's Terry Butler, and fellow former squash players Paul Viggers, Keith Redman and Sheryl Viggers.

All of this team have been playing for two years.

Former New Zealand squash rep, Paul Viggers switched to the lead role yesterday and he said original lead Redman was outstanding in the two role.