Taranaki finish ahead of youthful Wellington side

Wellington's Seamus Curtin, 13, sends down his bowl at Wanganui Bowling Club on Sunday afternoon. PHOTO/ 061013WCSMBOWLS2

It was probably a good thing for the bar takings at the Wanganui Bowling Club that the Taranaki men's team made it back-to-back 2013 wins in the Academy five-year and under hexagonal tournament on Sunday.

The men's and women's tournaments involve representative teams from six centres, chosen from players with a maximum of five years' experience.

While bowls is not considered a young person's game here in Wanganui, the Wellington team who pushed Taranaki so hard on the second day of the tournament contained a number of teenagers who at best could hope for a celebratory orange or lemonade drink as opposed to a shandy or a sherry.

The youngest was 13-year-old Seamus Curtin, while Brady Amer had his 14th birthday on Saturday during the tournament.

When Amer was asked how he got into the sport he pointed over to his watching brother Logan Amer, who at 21 is a seven-year veteran.

Curtin's mother, Rachel Wybourne-Curtin, formerly of Waverley, said her son had done well at Kittyhawk tournaments and so was looking to progress his game.

The Taranaki men finished on 30 points with an 87 difference, just ahead of Wellington with 28 points and a 65 difference.

Notably returning with the Taranaki team after winning the previous hexagonal tournament in May was Tony Penn the former Hurricanes Super 15 and New Zealand Maori prop who played more than 100 rugby games for his province.

Wanganui finished back in the pack in fifth place, although captain Kevin Willis said the benefits for the locals to play in the tournament were clear.

Having competed in his second hexagonal, Willis claimed a club doubles title in the period between May and October.

"You learn a lot.

"That's what the tournament's all about learning," he said during his triples game against Manawatu on Sunday.

At the Castlecliff Bowling Club, the Wanganui women's team held second place heading into the fourth round on Sunday afternoon.

However it was the Kapiti Coast team who came home the strongest winning the tournament with 21 points [+5], narrowly from Hawkes Bay on 20 [+15] and Wellington with 19 [+17].

Unlike at the competition in May, the weather held nicely and allowed for two good days of play without interruption at the weekend.