Tough matches for trophy

The winning Wellington team of Michael Rocks, Myles Cowper and Nick Jegousse. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

A much stronger field in 2013 made for an extremely competitive two days of matchups at the annual Wanganui East Club's open petanque triples championship during the weekend.

With 25 teams from around the country chasing the trophy title, including a number of New Zealand representatives, spots in the Top 16 were not easy to come by, followed by three games on Sunday to further whittle the field from eight teams, to four, and finally find the champions late that afternoon.

Best performed of the locals was Christine Strichen, not long returned from the world championships in France, who along with her Auckland partners Joanne Lippard and Pam Jenkins made it through to the trophy semifinals.

Competition was so close that the defending champions Bob Bridge (Kerikeri), Lee Tafford and Maurice Belz (both Napier) did not even qualify for the Top 16.

In the end, the Wellington team of Michael Rocks, Myles Cowper and Nick Jegousse won the trophy, beating Dirk Winnie (Wellington), Christian Fouquet and David Lippard (both Auckland) in the final.

David Lippard's team had beaten Strichen's in the semifinals, which means he had got past his own wife Joanne.

The Wellington team had defeated another husband and wife combination in Geoff and Denise Greer, along with Sharon Cannon (all Hawke's Bay) in the other semifinal.

In the plate final the Belz, Bridge and Tafford team earned some consolation from missing the cut for the trophy by still claiming their second set of silverware in two years.

The runners-up in the plate were Ray Pierce, Bill Peachy and Clive Bartlett.