Bowls: Atkinson shines at Oceanian event

Grant Hassall

Paritutu’s Briar Atkinson has completed another successful Oceania Challenge bowls event in Auckland.

The competition, which involved Atkinson’s New Zealand under-26 side, an Aotearoa Maori team, an Australian performance pathway selection, and six Island nations, concluded on Sunday, with Atkinson one of the stars.

In the first iteration of the competition 19 months ago, Atkinson won gold in the women’s pairs. This time, she claimed gold in the singles and a silver, with Olivia Mancer, in the pairs.

Atkinson had a tight tussle in the singles final, beating Tonga’s North Harbour-based Milika Nathan 6-3, 5-4.

In the pairs final, Mancer and Atkinson were nosed out 2-9, 10-3, 2-3 in the final by Norfolk Island’s evergreen Carmen Anderson and Shae Wilson.

A feature of Atkinson’s play throughout the four-day competition was her attacking play, which would seem at the moment to at least be the equal of any player in Taranaki, male or female.

Two other Taranaki players also secured two medals each – Kaylin Huwyler and Camron Horo in the Aotearoa Maori side.

While Huwyler was unable to defend his singles crown, he claimed a bronze in the solo discipline, an effort he repeated in the pairs.

Horo was the lead – an unfamiliar role for the youngest who spends most of his time skipping – in the fours, finishing runner-up, and in the triples, where the side placed third.

Aidan Zittersteijn, back from his Melbourne base for the event, narrowly missed out on a medal representing the Cook Islands.

Meanwhile, 43 combinations made it through to Sunday’s post section rounds in the Cross Country Rental-sponsored Taranaki mixed pairs.

There are eight combinations that will dispute the issue this Saturday at Pihama. Inglewood’s Paul Howell and Loris Ropitini play Paritutu’s Adam Collins and Cathy Andrews in one match, while on the same side of the draw, West End’s Bruce Hall and Leeanne Halls will square off against Tower’s Irene Taunt and John Roberts.

Paritutu’s Don Christensen and Cheryll Sharrock meet West End’s Bruce Colgan and Jill Dyett, while Fitzroy’s Ron and Maree Gadsby face Okato’s Ken and Linda Kape.

In a busy weekend for bowls, the men’s Summerset division one crown will be resolved at Paritutu on Sunday. At the same time, the Q Transport junior interclub will be finalised at Lepperton.