Bowls: Skip delivers again ... 25 years later

TRIUMPHANT FOUR: Ces Bell, Frank Grantham, Ken Smith and Fred Ellison after winning the Taranaki Open Fours title on Sunday. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Hawke's Bay bowler Ces Bell has heard the jokes suggesting he will have to keep playing for another 25 years if he wants to win a third Taranaki Open Fours title.

"I'll be more of a grumpy old bugger then than I am now," Bell, 71, quipped.

Bowls Taradale's Bell who first won the tournament in 1992 with an Aramoho-Wanganui combo skipped Napier's Fred Ellison and Taradale clubmates Ken Smith and Frank Grantham to a 27-15 win against former Black Jack Danny Delaney's Carlton Cornwall team of Mike Nasey, Norman Scott-Morrison and Joe Whitelaw in New Plymouth on Sunday.

Bell's team was playing together for the first time and were unbeaten in their six section games and five post-section games, which all added to the significance of their feat.

"We're thrilled. While this event isn't as big as it used to be, it still attracts the creme de la creme of the country's bowlers," Bell explained.

During the 1970s and early 1980s entries peaked at 580 teams. Last week 160 teams were chasing the first prize of $4000.

While Bell claimed his second Taranaki Open title, for three Ellison, 69, two Smith, 65, and lead Grantham, 65, it was their first. Bell's team is one of the oldest to win the tournament in recent years.

In their final which was a stop-start affair at the West End club because of rain they only required 23 of the scheduled 25 ends. In their semifinal Bell and co beat a Wanganui team skipped by Cary Pinker 25-19.

"To be fair we never looked like we would be beaten all week. There was one game in section play where I had to draw a shot to save it going to an extra head otherwise our wins were pretty comfortable and we were pleasantly surprised by the margins," Bell said.

Delaney is a three-time winner of the Taranaki Open, twice as a skip, and once as a member of a team skipped by former New Zealand rep Gary Lawson. Bell admitted he wasn't super confident about his team's chances as he drove them west.

"We knew we would have to put in some consistent efforts to make the business end."

When quizzed if the team would attempt back-to-back titles next year Bell replied:

"Twelve months is a long time away. If none of us have any problems health wise I'm sure we will go back and try and retain our title."

"We left town as best friends and returned even better friends. And once again the Taranaki hospitality was superb ... they are so professional in everything they do over there," Bell said.

Bell, Ellison, Smith and Bowls Taradale's Lloyd Fitness won Section B of the annual Golden Oldies tournament in Palmerston North last year and they will return to Palmy with the aim of winning Section A when the four-day tournament begins on February 28.

Fitness and Bell will clash in one of the semifinals of the Hawke's Bay Open Singles at Bowls Taradale during Waitangi Weekend and their Taradale clubmate Neil Barron will take on Pat Golder of Bowls Hastings in the other.

The only other Hawke's Bay team to reach the last 16 in Taranaki was the Bay View combo of Barry Wakely, Joe Johanson, Wayne Parker and Jim Cornish.