Indoor Bowls: Edgecumbe mother and son win pairs championship

Edgecumbe mother and son Tom and Merleen Orr won the Bay of Plenty Indoor Bowls Centre's Mixed Pairs Championship. Photo / Supplied

Edgecumbe's Merleen Orr received an early Mother's Day present when she won the Bay of Plenty Indoor Bowls Centre's Mixed Pairs Championship and the Graham Gerrand Memorial Cup with her son Tom Orr.

Tom also won the Bay of Plenty Pairs recently with Maureen Harris. Last weekend's win, at the Ngongotahā Community Hall, was his seventh Bay of Plenty title and Merleen's 13th.

In the final, over nine ends, they defeated Margurrite Gerrand and James Schuster, of Owhata, 9-8. The Edgecumbe pair made a great start to lead 5-0 after three ends. The Owhata pair replied with a single and three to close the gap to 3-5 after five ends. The scores then see-sawed with Edgecumbe leading 9-6 after the penultimate end. On the final end the Owhata pair held three shots but Orr was able to reduce the count to win 9-8.

In the semifinals, the Orrs beat Robin and Jacque Porter, of Lake Taupō, 11-1 while Gerrand and Schuster beat Ciaran Blackbourn and Kristine East, of Lake Taupo, 6-5.

The consolation event for the non-qualifiers was won by Buzz Abraham and Kirstyn Harrison from the Lake Taupō Club.

The Edgecumbe pair will now compete in the North Island Eastern Zone final of the New Zealand Mixed Pairs at Whakatāne on Sunday, July 7. The winner of the zone goes through to the national final in Hamilton on September 15.

Nineteen teams contested the championship and nine teams qualified for post-section play.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Ohope Club's Simon Hatcher won the Bay of Plenty Indoor Bowls Centre's Henselite Singles at the Whakatāne Indoor Bowls Stadium and brought his tally of BOP Centre titles to 13.

He defeated Gavin Rennie from St Andrews, Rotorua, 10-8 in an absorbing final. He qualifies to compete in the national final of the Henselite Singles in Christchurch on September 21.

In the final, over 12 ends, Hatcher scored one shot on the first end. On the second end Hatcher held four shots and Rennie drove at the head and moved the jack to the end of the mat to score two shots to lead 2-1. Hatcher then scored a three and with Rennie killing the jack on the fourth end, Hatcher scored another two and a further two on the fifth end to lead 8-2.

Rennie then scored two singles to trail 8-4. Hatcher scored one shot on the eighth to lead 9-4 with Rennie scoring two singles and a two to go into the final end just one point behind 9-8. On the final end Hatcher scored one shot to win 10-8.

In the semifinals Hatcher beat Ohope's Gary Hunt 15-5 and Rennie beat Owhata's Brian Flett 11-2.

Ron Munn, of Ohope, won the consolation event for the non-qualifiers.

Last year's champion Matthew Farquhar is now at Waikato University and finished runner-up in the Waikato event.

Twenty-six players contested the championship and 10 qualified for post-section.

- Supplied content