Bowls: Double glory for Paritutu

Grant Hassall

Paritutu did the double in the Taranaki centre fours bowls finals during the weekend.

But they were contrasting games, with the women’s decider going to an extra end.

Gale Fache’s side of Amanda Crehan, Marlene McArthur and Bridget Fletcher got the nod 15-14 over Oakura’s Sandra Zittersteijn, Alesha Quay, Tina Atkinson-Watt and skip Jackie Moeahu in the final at Manaia on Sunday.

A six on the eighth end of the final of the HTL Group-sponsored event gave Fache’s side a 14-2 lead. But Moeahu’s side scored on the remaining seven ends to force the extra end, which saw Fletcher draw the winning shot.

It was Crehan’s first Taranaki title, McArthur’s second, Fletcher’s sixth and Fache’s eighth.

In the Metcalfe Real Estate-sponsored men’s final, Adam Collins, Dean Elgar, Daryl Read and Camron Horo (Paritutu) ran away from Steve Temperton, Dennis Osborne, Lindsay Murfitt and Garry Murfitt (West End) 25-6 at Tower on Saturday.

Murfitt played a number of top shots to give his side a 5-3 lead early. But a five and a seven on consecutive ends blew the game apart. Collins and Horo both have four Taranaki titles now, Read seven and Elgar 19.

The Taranaki representative sides return to the greens this Saturday. They meet Whanganui at Tower (men) and Manaia (women). The sides are full strength, except for the men’s where Kurt Smith is representing New Zealand at the World Cup in Malaysia.

Teams:

Senior women: Rhonda Adams, Trish Howard, Maree Gadsby, Briar Atkinson, Jasmine Merrick, Viv Hall, Judy Crawford, Rita Davey, Alethea Rowlands, Irene Taunt, Amanda Crehan.

Development women: Linda Kape, Cindy Gray, Alesha Quay, Jill Forbes, Ashleigh McGaw, Mihi Hona, Angela Debique, Shelly Clark, Lois Debique, Tina Atkinson-Watt, Colleen Hodges, Christine Grant, Melisa McEwen Shepherd, Diane Chapman.

Senior men: Camron Horo, Darren Goodin, Bart Robertson, Bruce Colgan, Kelly Hill, Nathan Goodin, Craig De Faria, Daryl Read, Dean Elgar, Adam Collins.

Development men: Gavin Benton, Ross Sinclair, Luca Dobson, Simon Rowe, Shae Fleming, Jimmy Quay, Steve Fevre, Mark Hawken, Blair Clark, Joel Chard, Peter Van Dyk.

Meanwhile, the opening day’s play in the Vospers-sponsored women’s interclub at Stratford-Avon on Saturday saw Paritutu emerge as the leaders. But the defending champions didn’t have it all their own way. They finished the day with five wins and two draws from nine games – one draw ahead of Fitzroy. Three other sides finished the day on five wins.

In the Summerset men’s interclub on Sunday, Paritutu won eight from nine in the black section, two matches clear of both New Plymouth and Fitzroy. West End, after six wins, holds a slender lead in the amber section over Opunake and Manaia, who both finished with five wins and one draw.