Bowls: Do-or-die for qualifying hopefuls

By GRAHAM SKELLERN

The powerful Auckland team of the Marsic and Farac brothers will have plenty of work to do today after dropping their second match in the fours qualifying of the national lawn bowls championships in the Bay of Plenty.

Morris, who was skipping, and Mike Farac, with Ivan and Wally Marsic (Carlton), struck a tough draw when they faced up to arch-rivals Nick and Neven Grigicevich, John Harding and Clive Major.

The Hillsboro combination got home 21-20 for their second win of the day and need only one more to qualify for tomorrow's post-section play.

But the Faracs and Marsics, who beat the Barry Humphrey-skipped Omanu side in the first game 33-20, have a do-or-die clash this morning with the Katikati team skipped by the Bay of Plenty Academy player Barry Green, who also dropped a game yesterday.

The Faracs and the Marsics then come across a Riverhead combination skipped by Keith Wood who beat Green 23-20 and finished the first day unbeaten.

Pat Campbell's Auckland side, which contains 10-time national champion Nick Unkovich and former Auckland representative Wayne Wrack, surprisingly lost their first match to the Trevor Harris-skipped Hamilton City team, 24-11.

But the fancied Auckland four recovered to beat a Mt Maunganui Omanu club side 28-12 and have two easy-looking games today - against a Reporoa combination and a family team of Allan, Pat, Russell and Colin Spence.

Another favoured team who cannot drop another game are the Hillsboro/Glen Eden/Te Atatu mix of Grant Goodwin, John Pike, Norm Ray and Graham King. After winning their first game 34-17, they were beaten 23-22 by the Matamata Rewa four skipped by Ian Madill.

Defending champions Petar Sain, Nick Krajancic, Ivan Zonich and Alf Dickens (Carlton) began safely by winning their two matches 33-21 and 29-16, but they have two interesting games today - against the unbeaten Bay of Plenty combination of former pairs champion Peter Clark, Dennis Schollum, Jamie Dalton and David Dugmore; then another local side containing Peter Penfold and Ted Schischka.

There were some healthy scores yesterday. International Rowan Brassey, playing with Neville and Jamie Hill and Ross Haresnape (Avondale) got to 40-6 in their first game; the strong Mt Maunganui quartet of Sid Giddy, Maurice Hickey, Lance Tasker and Kevin Maxfield reached 41-10; but Graham Skellern's Tauranga side of Merv Gibbons, Gordon Hamilton and Reg Sim went one better to beat a further Mt Maunganui four 42-11.

Other double winners yesterday were: Ivan Kostanich, Kerry Chapman, Pat and Wayne Robertson (North Harbour); Shane McGonagle, Steve Dumper, Richard Collett, Daniel Rajek (Papakura); Rob Ashton, Cory Carroll, Mike Solomon, Adam Newman (Wellington); Doug Parlane, Ray Davidson, Darrel Purdie, Peter Walker (Glen Eden); Kevin Robinson, Neville Risbridge, Kevin Boothby, Steve Posa (Tokoroa/Hillcrest); and the Hinuera side of beaten pairs finalists Stu Settle and Kevin Smith, playing with John Settle and Bruce Milne.