Bowls: Taranaki bowling clubs gear up for finals days

Grant Hassall

It’s a sure bet that more than half of the clubs in Taranaki will be involved in the blockbuster finals day on April 26.

That was one of the noteworthy features after the finalists were found in the champion-of-champions fours and singles, senior and junior competitions, at the weekend.

There will be 14 finals that day, which may spill over to April 27, too, and already 11 of Taranaki’s 21 clubs have confirmed players for the big occasion.

Jackie Moeahu was the big winner from the weekend.

Her Paritutu side, which she led in, advanced to the women’s fours final at Tower on Saturday, and then, under the Oakura banner, she secured a berth in the women’s senior champion-of-champions singles on Sunday at the same location.

Briar Atkinson, who skipped the side at club level, was unable to play on Saturday but she is expected to return for the final.

Tina Atkinson-Watt took over skipping the team, with Alesha Quay and substitute Bridget Fletcher completing the lineup.

After two close shaves earlier in the day, the side beat the over-achievers in the event from Oakura, Meagan Breedveld, Michelle Walbank, Sandra Zittersteijn and skip Kim Marsters 18-7 in the semifinals.

Paritutu will square off with an Okato side of Sandra Boardman, Ellice Hona, Dianne Watts and skip Linda Kape in the final. The coastal quartet needed an extra end to edge Denise Banks, Michelle Keat, Eileen Rothwell and Lois Ritson (West End) 19-18 in the other semi.

In the singles, Moeahu will play New Plymouth’s Margy Carey in the decider. Moeahu beat Paritutu’s Kileigh Barber 21-15 in one semi, with Carey edging out Kristin Stampa (Stratford-Avon) 21-20 in the other.

The men’s fours final will be between West End’s Cody Hall, Darren Scott, Bruce Colgan and Paul Howell, and a Tower side which includes Graham Baxter and the three Anderson brothers – Brendan, Grant and Mark, the skip.

Howell’s side beat George Stannard, Ian Spurdle, Jarrod Pettett and Nigel Berry (Hawera Park) 20-9 in one semi, with Anderson’s team a 16-5 victor in the other over Hec Bell, Rob Clark, Barry Davies and Doug Clark (Manaia).

The men’s senior singles final looms as a beauty – Bart Robertson (New Plymouth) against Dean Elgar (Paritutu).

Elgar got the nod the last time they met, in a humdinger open singles quarterfinal a few weeks ago.

In the semis, Robertson ousted John Gray (Fitzroy) 21-14 while Elgar, the only person to play four rounds on the day at Stratford-Avon, eliminated the defending champion Hamish Kape (Okato) 21-15.

The junior singles finalists were also found on Sunday. Shae Fleming (Rahotu) will play Paul Midgley (Manaia) in the men’s event and Colleen Hodges (Stratford-Avon) will meet Irene Taunt (Tower) in the women’s decider. The beaten semifinalists were Chris Ropitini (Vogeltown), Andy Kendall (Inglewood), Robyn Pollock (Hawera Park) and Nelli Davis (Lepperton).

Meanwhile, from the previous weekend, the four surviving skips in the Abraham’s women’s open triples were Lyn Scott (Tower), Trish Howard (West End), Anne Brophy (New Plymouth) and Judy Fox (Manaia).

The Andersons Pies men’s open triples will be resolved between two West End teams headed by John Garrud and Craig De Faria.

Both events are included in finals day.