Bowls: West End only local team unbeaten

Thursday, Jan 30 2025

Bowls: West End only local team unbeaten

Grant Hassall

West End’s Trish Howard remained the only unbeaten Taranaki skip after the first three rounds in the Taranaki women’s Open fours tournament.

Howard scored a thrilling third-round victory on Wednesday morning at Lepperton in The Devon Hotel-sponsored event, when her side overcame Aramoho’s Reen Belliss 26-25.

Howard’s side includes Monique Shaw, Leanne Halls and Lorraine Heal. Heal combined with Howard to win the Taranaki open pairs last month, while Halls is a member of the Taranaki representative side.

Shaw is the unknown in the team. Even though she is in just her first season in the sport, she is showing a tonne of potential. Her hard work practicing is already paying dividends.

Howard’s side opened on Tuesday with wins over Pauline Davy (Opunake) 29-26 and Ralda Adams (Levin) 32-18.

The clash with Belliss, who won the Dominion pairs in 2010 and the fours last year, was a top-notch affair. Belliss won well twice on Tuesday and has a virtual Wanganui representative side with her.

Howard led 11-5 after seven ends. But a five on the next brought Belliss back into the game.

The teams were locked at 16-all after 14 ends, before Howard took her own five. Belliss slowly clawed back into the game, a two and a single on the last two ends tying up the scores.

With Heal drawing the shot, it was Howard’s side that took the deciding point on the extra end. In the afternoon round, Howard was on course to rack up win number four, leading 24-0 after eight ends.

At the lunch break on Wednesday, there were 15 other sides with the perfect three-from-three record. Those teams need one more victory to qualify before section play ends on Thursday evening.

Other unbeaten teams include defending champion Sue Hodges (Omokoroa), Adele French and Kaye Bunn (both Thames Coast), Paula Meredith (Johnsonville) and Marilyn Constantine (Tauranga).

Gale Fache (Paritutu), after two big wins on Tuesday, lost 27-19 to Wendy Green (Ngongotaha). Green has a good side, but got off to a bad start on Tuesday, losing both matches.

Other Taranaki tams sitting with a two-from-three record included Janice Ropitini (West End), Barbara Harvey (Paritutu), Vivienne Hall (West End), Karen Wallace (Okato), Shona Lawn (Manaia), Cathy Andrews (Paritutu) and Linda Clarke (Lepperton).