Bowls: Easy going day ahead for skillfull eleven

Grant Hassall

Today should be an easier day, at least in terms of self-pressure, for the 11 teams that have already qualified in the 72nd Devon Hotel Taranaki women’s Open fours.

Those sides, while still required to play, can afford to drop both matches today and still be involved in Friday’s post section rounds, which will be held on the slick Paritutu greens.

There are a further 20 sides sitting on three wins, one shy of qualification, and another 26 quartets that have so far won two matches. The remaining 31 teams are out.

It is expected that the total number of qualifiers, following the completion of the last two games today, will be in the mid-30s.

Remarkably, five sides have already gone through in from section one: Elaine Hodge (New Plymouth), Kerin Roberts (Mairangi Bay), Sue Hodges (Omokoroa), Janet Barnard (Rotorua) and Taranaki double gold star holder Rhonda Adams (Fitzroy).

Hodge received a close examination in the last round yesterday, pipping Paekakariki’s Teo Thorensen 22-19.

Barnard, whose team includes the decorated Mere Eden, twice won with some comfort.

 But their fellow Bay of Plenty side, skipped by Hodges, had a narrow squeak in the morning. They beat Cheryll Sharrock (Paritutu) 25-18. The scores had been locked at 16-all after 21 ends. Adams won both games with some to spare, while Roberts, who holds 10 North Harbour titles, had to wait until after the fourth game to notch up a win in round three.

Her side achieved the feat, 22-21 against Carol Cox (Tokoroa). The match was one of four games that had not finished by the 1.30pm time limit.

In the same section, Leeane Poulson’s side, still being skipped by Trish Cullinane, won well twice, and seem certain to be among the qualifiers.

Diane Strawbridge (Kensington) and Meredith Pottage (Mt Maunganui) both advanced from section two. Pottage, a past BOP champion-of-champions triples winner, had a close morning game with Barbara Harvey (Paritutu).

Harvey led 18-15 after 20 ends, but Pottage won the next four heads to take a three-shot lead into the last, holding on to win 21-19. At the same time, Strawbridge got off to a flyer, leading Adrienne Tilyard (Buckland) 13-0 after eight ends and winning 26-16. Rima Strickland (Royal Oak) is also through, but it was a close-run affair against the gritty Hetty Bolscher (Pukekohe) after lunch in section five. Strickland got through 19-16.

In the same group, Marlene Malcolm (Waitara) upset Val Symes (Fitzroy) 21-19 in round four to leave both teams on three wins. Marilyn Constantine also suffered a second defeat.

Senara Watt (Papakura) is the only qualifier so far from section six. Both wins yesterday were by comfortable margins — 24-12 over Wendy Moratti (Lepperton) and 29-12 against Diane Dickinson (Henderson).

Section seven has two qualifiers to date — Hastings’ Chris Telford, a dominant force in Bay bowls, and Pirongia’s Denise Te Momo.

 Again, both teams were relatively comfortable throughout the day. Te Momo, the defending titleholder, did send a shot across the bows in beating Anne Lomas (Hunua) 28-15.

Lomas’ side sits on three wins. Neither section three or four have any qualifiers to date.