The wide open spaces of the Wanganui Bowling Club show how large tournaments can be hosted quite easily by the fourth oldest club in the country. PHOTO/FILE
The wide open spaces of the Wanganui Bowling Club show how large tournaments can be hosted quite easily by the fourth oldest club in the country. PHOTO/FILE
A Palmerston North crew edged out one of the favoured host teams to take out the A final of the longstanding Ray White Wanganui Bowling Club annual Men and Women's $5000 Classic Fours competition at the weekend.
The team skipped by Shane Rogers narrowly beat a strong local line-up skippedby Ray Park, while the B final was claimed by the Wanganui crew skipped by Glen Springer and included selector Lyndsay Wheeler, 82-year-old John Wooding and bowls newcomer Laurie Hunt.
This year, the fourth oldest club in the country, established in 1886, hosted 32 teams of four from Wellington, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Taihape, Waverley, Levin and a smattering of local clubs.
All were vying for the $1200 first prize in the A section and $1000 in the B. Prizes were paid out to fourth place in a tournament also sponsored by a host of Wanganui businesses.
The teams were either men or women only with the first women's team home from Wellington and skipped by Mary Fryer. They finished runner-up to Springer's four in the B section to claim the $500 second purse.
Brian Little's four from Palmerston North finished third in the A section ahead of local hope skipped by Cary Pinker in fourth.
Wanganui's Dot Belliss skipped the team that finished third in the B section, while fellow local Bernard Anderson's team finished fourth.
Wanganui Bowling Club executive member Laurie Hocquard said the annual tournament was a huge success and thanked the input of the many sponsors who helped make it happen and the volunteers who helped feed and water more than 300 players and visitors.
