Bowls: Fireworks expected in fours quarter-finals

Defending champion Gary Lawson had little trouble progressing to the quarter-finals of the national men's fours championship yesterday, setting up a meeting with fellow Cantabrian, Kelvin Scott.

Lawson and his powerful lineup of lead Adam Newman, two Glen McDonald and three Doug Wilson, needed only 15 of the scheduled 21 ends to annihilate the Leamington four of Geoff Anson 25-1.

Their reward is a clash today against Scott, with whom Lawson was runnerup in 1998, and his composite lineup of Manawatu's Philip Skoglund jnr and Craig Gush and Wellington's Bruce Henderson.

In the other quarter-finals Australian-based Aucklander Richard Girvan fronts up to Glen Eden's Dave McMurchy, Onehunga's Peter Thorne faces a Pakuranga four skipped by Ron Nisbet and in an all Tauranga South battle Graham Skellern plays Peter Clark.

There is said to be little love lost between Lawson and Scott, despite coming from the same centre and having often played together, but yesterday each man emphasised his respect for the other.

"Kelvin's got a good team and there'll be nothing in it," said Lawson.

Scott, whose four had a comfortable win over Russell Hocking of Mangawhai, also expected a stern contest.

"Gary and I get on okay and respect each other but there'll be no love lost on the green," he said.

The ease with which Lawson won his final 16 match yesterday suggests his four could be slightly underdone. But he said he and his team would quickly put the romp behind them.

"The tournament starts for us today," he said.

Girvan's lineup of veteran Danny O'Connor, Dunedin's Steve Beel and outstanding Australian Wayne Turley look a good outsider's chance.

Girvan breezed into the quarter-finals with a 30-11 thumping of Eion Reilly's Central Cambridge four.

Lawson expects the Thorne four of Barry Greer, Kevin Hickland and Jason Lindsay, which ousted Rowan Brassey on Sunday, to be one of the semifinalists.

In an era where composite fours have become standard, it's remarkable that two fours made up solely of Tauranga South bowlers, skipped by Skellern and Clark, should meet so late in the nationals.

At three for Clark is former top administrator Malcolm Kidd, who revealed that he and Clark met Skellern's side in a recent club championships final. On that occasion, Skellernwon.

Skellern won a prolonged battle with Nick Grgicevich's Onehunga four in the last 16 and Nisbet skipped his team to a 20-13 win over Carlton's Ivan Zonich.

It was a notable family double for Nisbet. Earlier his wife, June, had skipped her Pakuranga four to the last 16 in the women's draw.

* The draw

Gary Lawson (Hornby Domain) v Kelvin Scott (Belfast)
Ron Nisbet (Pakuranga) v Peter Thorne (Onehunga)
Peter Clark (Tauranga Sth) v Graham Skellern (Tauranga Sth)
Richard Girvan (Taren Point) v Dave McMurchy (Glen Eden)