KEY POINTS:
Newly crowned bowls singles champions, Richard Collett (Papakura) and Sue Wightman (Hakaru), must have felt like stars yesterday, such was the noise from their supporters as they won national titles for the first time.
"They were certainly very vocal - I think the breweries up there [on the
hill] got a good workout as well," Collett said of his own personal fan club from the Papakura club.
Wightman is from a small club with only 30 female members but it sounded as if they numbered 300 as they shouted their support at the National Championships at the Pakuranga greens.
"I think all the [Hakaru] bowlers are here and a few honorary members as well," she said. "There's been so much support - they've just been marvellous. There are a lot of Northland bowlers here, especially from the Kensington club and they've all been behind me. It's just been a great week."
Wightman became a serious contender when she defeated in-form Serena Matthews in the semifinals and she overcame her lack of experience at this level by going shot for shot with her finals opponent, the more experienced Marina Khan (Tokoroa) for the first half of the match.
Khan was actually ahead 11-9, before Wightman's outstanding drawing game allowed her to finish the final in spectacular fashion. The Northlander reeled off 12 unanswered shots in only five ends, finishing with a four - much to the delight of her fans.
Collett also had a tough road to the final, beating double world champion Gary Lawson to progress through the quarter-finals but his successes through the previous two days gave him confidence about his draw game.
"I did have a sleepless night, last night, on and off all the time but it's all over and done with now," a relieved Collett said after disposing of Colin Lourie 21-14 in the men's final.
Accurate drawing forced Lourie (Frankton Railway) to run a lot of shots at the start of the game and Collett careered out to an 8-0 lead after only six ends. Lourie settled and was able to draw shots consistently for the remainder of the clash, at one stage recovering to only a two-shot deficit. But Collett countered the comeback, scoring six shots to one on the final four ends to take the title 21-14.
Sharon Sims and Mary Campbell won the women's pairs title, beating Wellingtonians Dale Lang and Fiona McKinlay 16-12.
Sims and Campbell had to fight for every point with the score locked at 12-12 after 15 of the scheduled 18 ends but their experience came to the fore at the business end of the game.
Ray Boffa (Paraparaumu Beach) and Rob Ashton (Johnsonville) bt Chris Le Lievre (Onehunga) and Matt Gallop (Eastbourne) 15-13 in the men's pairs final.
