Weather foils quest for national title

Wanganui Bowling Club's Ray Park was left stranded in his quest to get another national title on the weekend as the wild South Island weather made him conspicuous by his absence from Invercargill.

Park was one of six competitors qualified for the men's singles at the Bowls New Zealand National Club Championships, aiming for his third title to go with the fours win in 2007 and pairs victory with son Clint the following year.

Instead, Park was stranded at Christchurch airport on Saturday after his connecting flight was cancelled.

Weather had been a concern in the buildup to the trip, but Park said his flight from Palmerston North to Christchurch was beautiful, except when the sleet started to arrive as they touched down in Canterbury.

Further snowfall at first delayed and then cancelled their next flight, and attempts to get another or a timely rental car were unsuccessful.

Travelling at the same time, Waikato's Wayne Stewart of the Frankton Railway club was likewise unable to progress further south.

Of the remaining four competitors at Invercargill's Waverley Bowling Club, Chris Le Lievre of Auckland's Onehunga club had two victories and a draw, enough to win his first national singles title.

Back in Wanganui yesterday, Park couldn't say if he would have given the 28-year-old a good run for his money.

"I was looking forward to it, but at the end of the day, you don't know how it's going to go.

"It was a long way from winning the centre, then the regionals, so this opportunity doesn't come very often."

Fortunately, the weather should have been kinder to the Wanganui East team of Claire Ellen, Maria Klitcher and Sadie Head, who begin their quest to win the triples title today.