Indoor bowls: First title for tourney veteran

Gary Low of the Invercargill Workingmen's Club plays a forehand delivery on his way to victory in last night's pair's final. Opposing skip Dave Bullock of the Hornby club looks on. Photo / Duncan Brown

Gary Low wanted to reward his lead Alan Clark for patience and perseverance and he did last night.

"Alan has been coming to these tournaments for 17 years and never won a title. This is the first for both of us," New Zealand rep Low said after they won the pairs segment of the Clubs New Zealand men's national indoor bowls championships being played in Napier.

The Invercargill Workingmen's Club combination beat the Hornby Workingmen's & MSA Club Inc pair of skip Dave Bullock and Allan Quirke 7-4 in the final. Low, 38, who is in his second year as a New Zealand rep, has been competing in Clubs New Zealand tournaments for four years.

"Two years ago I had three runners-up and a third equal. Add tonight's title and it's not too bad considering the quality of players these events attract," Low said. "We've still got triples and fours to go but I think we will be allowed to celebrate with a couple of quiet beers."

The pair were scheduled to play in different triples combinations from their club today, before combining again in the same fours team tomorrow.

"You never target a specific title when you come to events like this because they are all pretty tough. Obviously you hope to have a chance because just qualifying from our club is a feat in itself," Low said.

A former winner of the New Zealand Henselite Singles title and a triples title on the New Zealand indoor bowls scene, Low will have little time to rest when he returns to Invercargill on Friday night, as the Southland Singles Championship are on Saturday.

"I don't think I've got a free weekend until the middle of August," he said.

Low, a sales rep for Century Yuasa Batteries, and Clark beat Trevor Coleman and Roger Andrews from Pukekohe 9-2 in their semifinal while Bullock and Quirke pipped another Pukekohe combo of Kevin McDowell and Jason Parker 9-8.

Dave Vesty and Michael Brown of the Hibernian/Hastings RSA did the best of the Hawke's Bay teams in the 105-pair event with a last 32 exit. Today's triples will involve 70 teams and tomorrow 55 teams will start in fours section play. Section play is at the Napier Indoor Bowls Association's Onekawa hall, before post-section play at the Taradale Club.