Wanganui go ever so close

The Wanganui senior men's team in Palmerston North, after they narrowly missed claiming the Hexagonal Intercentre tournament by one point from Manawatu on the weekend. (Back left) Lindsay Wheeler, Peter Belliss, Ray Savage, Cary Pinker, Warrick Pinker, Bruce Winterburn, Mike Morgan. (Front left) Phil Corney, Alan Dickson, Ray Park, Kevin Coombe, Bernard Anderson. Photo/Supplied

It was heartbreak for the senior men's representative team after they came within one point of winning the Hexagonal Intercentre tournament in Palmerston North at the weekend.

However, Wanganui manager Mike Morgan is now supremely confident of a strong showing at the Bowls NZ National Intercentre Tournament next month, with the seven-man squad selected from the 10-man team who played at the weekend, along with the inclusion of top singles player Sean Johnson who was unavailable.

Taking on Wellington, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Kapiti Coast and hosts Manawatu, Wanganui's chance to win the tournament all came down to the final matchup with Manawatu.

With five rounds, the games were singles, pairs and fours with two points awarded for a win and one for a draw.

"We had a steady start and after four of the five rounds we were ahead by one point," said Morgan. "However, during the last round we could only win two out of five matches, while Manawatu managed three wins to head us off.

"This was a mighty effort by a dedicated team who were in with a real chance up to the last bowl in two games that we lost."

Wanganui's A pairs team of skip Peter Belliss and Alan Dickson had a great weekend, winning all five of their games.

The national tournament will be in Wellington with four days of play from March 27-30, with 26 centre teams contesting the men's competition and 25 in the women's.

The seven-player teams will be split over singles, pairs and fours competition.

The Wanganui men's team to contest the nationals:

Singles: Sean Johnson; Pairs: Peter Bellis (s), Alan Dickson; Fours: Bruce Winterburn (s), Ray Park, Bernard Anderson, Ray Savage.

Hexagonal results:

Points: Manawatu 31, Wanganui 30, Wellington 28, Hawkes Bay 25, Taranaki 24, Kapiti Coast 11.

Individual, Singles A: Bernard Anderson (1 win, 4 losses); B: Bruce Winterburn (4 wins, 1 loss). Pairs A: Peter Belliss, Alan Dickson (5 wins, 0 losses); B: Cary Pinker, Warrick Pinker (2 wins, 3 losses).

Fours: Ray Park, Kevin Coombe, Phil Corney, Ray Savage (2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses).