Lawn Bowls: Battling on in heavy weather

Isobelle Davies from Perth, Australia gets set to bowl at the 2014 Easter Optional Fours Tournament in Ngongotaha. Photo/Supplied

Unrelenting rain could not stop Neil Smythe and his team from winning the 2014 Easter Optional Fours Tournament in Ngongotaha.

The greens at Ngongotaha Bowling Club were packed as 112 keen bowlers endured the rain to compete.

It is the second year the long-standing tournament has been held as an optional competition, meaning the teams of four can include any combination of men and women.

The winning team was a composite team made up of players from Hamilton, Mount Maunganui and Reporoa.

Hamilton player Henry Te Moni skipped the side which included Smythe (Reporoa), Merv Gibbons and Doug Russell.

They won three out of four games on Saturday to progress to the section one competition on Sunday, where they won all four of their games to win the title outright.

They finished ahead of last year's winners from Napier.

A Rotorua composite team won the section two competition which included John McGregor, Cyril Goss, Graeme Goss and Irene Goss.

Ngongotaha Bowling Club president John McGregor said the competition had boosted in popularity since they changed it to an optional event last year.

The competition was full four months ago, with 28 teams entered. One of New Zealand's best lawn bowlers Peter Belliss was also competing at the weekend.