Indoor bowls: Singles win completes rare set

Grant l'Ami, 38, from the South City Club, Tauranga, won the Lion Foundation National Indoor Bowls Championship singles sponsored by Bay Audiology at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre.

L'Ami, from North Taranaki, was the inspirational Mat Blacks captain when New Zealand beat Australia recently. This was his eighth title, the most any player has ever won in indoor bowls. He is also the first player to have won all four disciplines; singles, pairs, triples and fours. He won the fours in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2011; triples in 1999 and 2012; pairs in 2002 and now the singles.

In the final, over 12 ends, he defeated Barry Clement from Papamoa Sports Club, Tauranga 10-5. It was an absorbing affair with the score 3-1 after four ends. On the fourth end l'Ami was holding three shots when Clement ran at the head and forced the jack to the end of the mat to hold two shots.

L'Ami tried to draw the shot but killed the jack to level at 3-3. L'Ami scored singles on the next two ends.

A feature of the match was the close heads with l'Ami having a shot marginally closer to the jack. On the eighth end Clement drew level again when, with his last bowl, he wicked off a bowl to move the jack and score two shots to make it 5-5.

However that was to be the end of his scoring as l'Ami scored three singles and a two to run out the winner 10-5.

In the semifinals l'Ami defeated Mike Sackfield, Manawatu 12-7 while Clement was too strong for Greg Williams, Waikato, in a 16-6 win.

The quarter-finals saw Williams beat Marcus Trlin, Hutt Valley 12-9, Clement beat Robin Simmons, Tauranga 12-5, Sackfield beat Ray Wyatt, Auckland 10-3 and l'Ami beat Bevan Coleman, Tauranga 10-4.

The defending champion Joseph Zino, Hutt Valley was eliminated in the last 64 by Alister Wilson, North Taranaki 8-7.

One of the pre-tournament favourites, Ashley Diamond, Southland, was put out by Willie Rudolph, Tauranga, 10-6 in the last 64, who was then put out by Giovanni Persico, Nelson 11-8.

The Bay of Plenty's best performance was provided by Mike Bryant from the Westbrook Club who reached the last 16 where he lost to Ray Wyatt, Auckland 8-7. He was 5-0 down before he scored but he came back strongly to trail 5-8 going into the final end. But he could only score two shots.

The Truth Cup, awarded to the woman who progresses the furthest in the singles, was won by Sue Bourne, from the Cardiff Club, North Taranaki.

The Cliff Thompson Trophy for the best under-18 player was won by Amber McNally from the Tauwhare Club, Waikato.

The Kath and Sen Smith Trophy for the best player over-60 went to Murray Fraser, Garden City-Linwood Club, Canterbury. He won a playoff against Bill Webster, North Taranaki 8-6.

Defending pairs champions Steve Fisher and Pam Cohen from Auckland failed to qualify to defend their title at the Lion Foundation National Indoor Bowls Championships at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre. They could only manage one win in section play.

Notable combinations to qualify included New Zealand representative Ashley Diamond, Southland, who won in 2011 and who this time combines with Brent Keen.

Tauranga's l'Ami and Mike Phipps, who have a pairs title from 2002, Grant Rayner and Paul Psaila, North Wellington, who won in 2006 and 2010, Gary and Graham Low, Southland, Keith Setter and Geoff Coughey, Tauranga and Paul Smith and Fiona Wilson, Tauranga.

Last year's singles champion Joseph Zino with Denise Clarkson, Hutt Valley are also through. Grant Harvey, North Taranaki, who won the pairs in 1998, combined with Tim Veale, who won in 2008, to record four wins.

Players with four titles to qualify include Thames Valley's Kevin Boothby playing with his wife Gail, Nigel Warnes, Nelson playing with Domenico Palumbo and John Zittersteijn, North Taranaki with his son Aiden.

Upsets saw Lance Jenner and Jason Parker, Auckland, Grant Fortune and Darryn Turner, Southland, Lindsay and Beryl Willis, North Taranaki, Hayden Warnes and Chris Moffitt, Nelson, and Alex Reed and Alison Cowan, Tauranga, miss the cut.

Bay of Plenty's Margurrite Gerrand, from the Ngongotaha Club, combined with Mike Teirney from Northland to qualify with four wins.

Three hundred and ninety five pairs entered the championships and 155 pairs qualified for post section play yesterday.

Bay of Plenty qualifiers were: Ngongotaha: Margurrite Gerrand and Mike Teirney; Rotorua RSA: Alan Austin and Jennie Whiteman; Catholic: Paul Gooch and Chris Spurway; Edgecumbe: Paul Guest and Maureen Harris; Barry McLeod and Donna Sargent; Lake Taupo: Robin and Jacque Porter; Taupo Cossie: Liz Witton and Val Duncan; Woodlands: Ian Jeffery and Noeleen O'Connell; Rotorua Club: John Wood and Andy Eastcott, Noel and Audrey Gray; Westbrook: Krissy East and Marge Taare, Gina Owen and Sam Bryant, Derek Owen and Mike Bryant and Karl Rice and Josh Mills.