Bowls: Robertson makes semis

By GRAHAM SKELLERN

TAURANGA - Experienced lawn bowler Pat Robertson, of Helensville, thought his winning singles days were over.

He had two knee replacements, five and seven years ago, so he could again crouch low enough to deliver the bowl sweetly.

With his two new knees, he was just happy to be able to keep playing.

"In the end I couldn't get down to deliver the bowl and I said to the doctor: 'you do these knees because I can't play bowls.'

"It's great to be here and to be able to compete with the younger guys," said the 68-year-old Robertson, who is now within sight of his second national title.

Robertson, a North Harbour representative, staged a brillant drawing display in the quarter-finals of the singles at the national championships on the headquarters Matua green in Tauranga on Saturday.

After beating the national convener of selectors, Sid Giddy, 21-9, Robertson stepped up a gear to demoralise talented Bay of Plenty representative Clive Phillips 21-13.

On end after end, Robertson drew bowls to within centimetres of the jack, and though Phillips worked hard to stay in the match, his older opponent's superb consistency shone through.

Robertson, who won the national pairs with his good mate Ivan Kostanich in 1984, held leads of 6-2, 10-5 and 15-6, when Phillips staged a mini recovery.

He fought back to 13-16 but Robertson was unshaken.

He simply drew them closer and picked up a two and a three over the final two ends.

"It was about time I played decent," said a laconic Robertson, who meets Waikato representative Steve Posa in the semifinals this morning.

"Up till now I had been playing rough and then suddenly I got the feel and was confident in drawing some shots."

Robertson, who has always been a gritty competitor, claims he is not thinking about the singles title.

"All I hope for is to play my best - like I did today. To be honest, I thought I would have had a day's rest by now, but I've kept going and I've got a few aches and pains now.

"At times on the mat I was struggling to get right down and I bounced one or two deliveries.

"I think I'm getting to the stage where they might need to put another washer in one of my knees," he said.

The dream run of the unheralded Whangarei regional bank manager Steve Smith, formerly of the Carlton club, ended in the quarter-finals when he was beaten 21-4 by Posa, the New Zealand Superbowls runner-up last season.

Smith beat Henderson's Peter Harding 21-18 in the last 16, and after leading Posa 4-2 the wheels suddenly fell off. Posa won the next nine ends to win with four singles, two twos, a three and two fours.

A similar experience happened to the Bay of Plenty representative Kevin Maxfield.

After fighting hard to reach the quarter-finals, Maxfield was quickly behind 0-11 against the 1991 champion, Petar Sain (Carlton), whose four touchers over the first two ends set the tone of the match, and he strode on in search of his second singles title after winning 21-5.

Sain meets another confident, bowler Sean Johnson (Wanganui), in the other semifinal.