ISAACSON RETURNS TO PBA FINALS WEEKEND

Hawkes Bay’s Mike Isaacson will play in the New Zealand Professional Bowls Association Finals Weekend for the third time in five years after winning the opening qualifier of the 2023 season at the Bowls Heretaunga venue in Hastings on Sunday. Isaacson won the Scottish Singles qualifier beating Bay of Plenty’s David Jones in the final 10-6, 8-6 to earn a spot in the Invercargill national playoffs in September.

The local was in impressive form not dropping a set during the day, compared to a harder run to the final for Jones having to go to tiebreaks in all of his wins including overcoming last year’s form player Natarsha Grimshaw and former number one Murray Glassey.

On Saturday, Glassey beat former coordinator Ian Mason in the final of a Ranking Singles tournament, while on Friday evening Peter Jones beat Grimshaw and Mark Kilmister in the final of the Shanghai Singles Qualifier earning Jones a place at Finals Weekend in Invercargill.

The next action is a catch-up 2022 Trans-Tasman Challenge clash between the Australian and New Zealand PBAs at the Mandurah Club in Perth next Monday 15^th and 16^th May featuring a strong team of Andrew Kelly, Ray Martin, Gavin Scrivener, Sheldon Bagrie-Howley and Craig Merrilees.

Information including an application form, entry forms, dates and venues can be found on the worldbowlstour dot org site under PBA – New Zealand.

Results from the weekend are as follows:

Shanghai Singles Qualifier.

Final: Peter Jones (Hawkes Bay) 31 bt Natarsha Grimshaw (Hawkes Bay) 11 and Mark Kilmister (Hawkes Bay) 9.
Peter Jones will play at Finals Weekend in Invercargill September 15-17.

Ranking Singles:

1^st round: Dave Porteous bt Rozanna Muriwai 4-8, 7-5, 2-1; Natarsha Grimshaw bt Scotty McGavin 9-4, 9-0; Paul Sorensen bt Jason Tiddy 8-8, 11-2; Mike Le Geyt bt Gary Muriwai 7-6, 3-10, 2-1.
2^nd round: Ian Mason bt Brian Looker 5-8, 13-3, 2-1; Peter Jones bt John Kearns 11-6, 7-7; Steve Love bt Glen Curtis 9-2, 12-2; Mike Isaacson bt Mark Kilmister 6-8, 9-8, 2-1; Murray Glassey bt Gavin Keighley 8-3, 12-1; Merv Brown bt David Jones 9-7, 9-4; Grimshaw bt Porteous 8-6, 11-1; Sorensen bt Le Geyt 10-4, 9-4.
Quarterfinals: Mason bt P.Jones 5-7, 7-6, 2-0; Isaacson bt Love 8-8, 12-2; Glassey bt Brown 8-2, 13-6; Grimshaw bt Sorensen 9-6, 10-8.
Semifinals: Mason bt Isaacson 9-6, 9-3; Glassey bt Grimshaw 12-3, 11-5.
Final: Murray Glassey (Hawkes Bay) bt Ian Mason (Hawkes Bay) 8-6, 9-4.

Scottish Singles Qualifier:

1^st round: Natarsha Grimshaw bt John Kearns 12-10, 8-4; Scotty McGavin bt Brian Looker 8-7, 10-7; Steve Love bt Iraia Pene 11-1, 13-5; Rozanna Muriwai bt Merv Brown 9-4, 6-7, 2-1; Peter Jones bt Gary Muriwai 12-3, 3-12, 2-1; Murray Glassey bt Ian Mason 7-4, 6-7, 2-1.
2^nd round: Gavin Keighley bt Fletch Christian 10-4, 9-6; Mike Isaacson bt Glen Curtis 8-7, 10-3; Paul Sorensen bt Mark Kilmister 12-7, 8-4; Dave Porteous bt Mike Le Geyt 8-5, 5-9, 2-0; David Jones bt Jason Tiddy 11-12, 16-0, 2-0; Grimshaw bt McGavin 1-7, 9-4, 2-0; R.Muriwai bt Love 8-3, 8-4; Glassey bt P.Jones 10-2, 8-8.
Quarterfinals: Isaacson bt Keighley 9-5, 6-5; Sorensen bt Porteous 5-8, 10-9, 2-0; D.Jones bt Grimshaw 8-5, 6-9, 2-0; Glassey bt R.Muriwai 10-1, 9-1.
Semifinals: Isaacson bt Sorensen 9-8, 8-4; D.Jones bt Glassey 4-13, 8-6, 2-0.
Final: Mike Isaacson (Hawkes Bay) bt David Jones (Bay of Plenty) 10-6, 8-6.
Mike Isaacson will play at Finals Weekend in Invercargill September 15-17.