Bowls: Paritutu bowlers win Taranaki singles titles

Grant Hassall

Paritutu have done the double in the Taranaki open singles bowls events after Briar Atkinson and Dean Elgar triumphed at West End on Monday.

Atkinson, despite playing only limited bowls this season, made it four successive victories in the La Nouva-sponsored women’s competition, while Elgar had to call on all of his reserves to collect a remarkable eighth win the men’s tournament.

Atkinson now has 12 Taranaki titles in total after beating West End’s Monique Bastin 21-14 in the final. She ran away to an 11-1 lead before Bastin, a second-year player who also made the open pairs final, won the next five ends to close the margin to 11-10. However, Atkinson cribbed away and aided by a four and then a three on the last end, secured the game.

Irene Taunt (Tower) and Ellice Hona (Okato), both juniors, finished third-equal.

Elgar won the Harcourts Team Green men’s final 21-19 over Craig De Faria (West End) with his last bowl.

Despite the breezy conditions that buffered the game, play was of a high standard. Elgar held a slight advantage for most of the contest, but at 13-all it was anyone’s to win. Successive threes and a single took Elgar to a 20-13 lead.

But De Daria hit back with a four and a two. It was game on. Elgar drew a close one with his first bowl on the last end. De Faria drove the shot off with his last delivery to hold two shots and the game. However, Elgar ensured his 21st Taranaki title when he drew the shot with his final bowl.

Simon Rowe (Fitzroy) and Jason Peters (Manaia), after excellent weekends, were placed third-equal.

Elgar and De Faria are part of the Taranaki representative side that takes part in the New Zealand Intercentre event in Auckland from this Thursday. The other team members are Darren Goodin, Adam Collins, Bart Robertson, Daryl Read and Camron Horo.

Robertson has been in great recent touch, too, finishing runner-up in the Dominion fours as a member of Graham Skellern’s side.

Unfortunately, work commitments mean that Atkinson is not part of the women’s side. That team is made up of Rhonda Adams, Alethea Rowlands, Trish Howard, Susan Cottam, Cindy Gray, Taunt and Maree Gadsby.

Meanwhile, the Waimea club celebrated its 75th jubilee on Saturday. Players were impressed with the green, which was laid last year, as they recalled the exploits of leading players like Jean Gray and Ken Whittle, double victories in both the men’s and women’s Open fours, and past Taranaki presidents Beryl Yates and Barry Stevenson.

Inglewood stalwart Frank Klenner, skipping a Urenui side of Terry Fieldes, Mike Kingi and Murray Dalton, emerged as the winners ahead of Gerry O’Sullivan, Chris Gyde, Eric Foreman and Danny O’Sullivan (Inglewood).