In a record payout for a New Zealand fours’ event, Lance Pascoe, Shannon McIlroy, Kelvin Scott and Tony Grantham have claimed the lucrative $20,000 winners’ cheque, playing their way through to the silverware at the 2022 Nelson Bowling Club Premier Fours.
In what has eventuated as somewhat of a festival week of bowls in the sunny capital of New Zealand, the Nelson Bowling Club Premier Fours attracted some star-studded line-ups littered with current, former and potential Blackjacks - with many players travelling to the area to compete in the men’s and women’s Stoke Stakes events also.
Now in its fourth year and recognised as part of the Bowls New Zealand Summer of Bowls calendar, the format sees sixteen teams split into four sections, with the top two of each section advancing to the quarter-finals and the remaining teams contesting the Plate Event.
After three games of section play, which saw all fixtures set at 25-ends, the top eight emerged - comprising skips Pascoe, Pete Hodson, Jordan King, Lou Newman, Sheldon Bagrie-Howley, Richard Collett, Dean Gilshnan and Paddy Stewart.
A hard fought elimination round saw Bagrie-Howley, Caleb Hope, Aiden Zittersteijn and Brent McEwan defeat Newman’s line-up of Laurie Guy, Sanjhe Prasad and Craig McDonell,, Pascoe defeat Collett (Rory Soden, Bronwyn Stevens, Roger Stevens), King defeat Gilshnan (Brian Little, Ian Monaghan, Jason Hawe) and Hodson defeat Stewart (Kerry Becks, Craig Carter, Tom Tamati).
Despite some early rain delay, the Finals’ Day got underway as the axe began to fall on the remaining sides. In the first of the semi-final fixtures, Bagrie-Howley’s four were put to the sword by the vastly experienced Pascoe quartet, 28-18, while Hodson, James Pugh, Barrie Andrews and Tom Taiaroa fought off a tough contest in the form of Auckland’s King, Aiden Takarua, Teo Turua and Steve Hoeft edging their way to the spoils by a solitary shot, 20-19.
As the weather held its own, the final saw both teams chip away equally throughout the majority of the game, though a couple of elite-level conversion shots from Pascoe and a steady influence from the rest of the side proved the difference, with Pascoe’s four running out victors, 24-14.
The win saw Pascoe’s side secure $5,000 each for their three-day performance, while Hodson and Co pocketed a cool $2,000 each for their efforts.
In other results, Nelson stalwarts Jo Edwards and Val Smith combined with Wellington’s rising stars Finbar McGuigan and Seamus Curtin to take out secondary honours, defeating Olivia Bloomfield, Ashleigh Jeffcoat, Paris Baker and Linda Ralph in the Plate Final over 15-ends.
All attention now turns to the Stoke Stakes Men’s Pairs, with qualifying getting underway on Friday morning at both the Stoke and Motueka Bowling Clubs.
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
2022 NELSON PREMIER FOURS
Final
Pascoe def Hodson: 24-14
Semi-finals
Pascoe def Bagrie-Howley: 28-18
Hodson def King: 20-19
Quarter-finals
Sheldon Bagrie-Howley, Caleb Hope, Aiden Zittersteijn, Brent McEwan def Lou Newman, Laurie Guy, Sanjhe Prasad, Craig McDonnell
Lance Pascoe, Shannon McIlroy, Kelvin Scott, Tony Grantham def Richard Collett, Rory Soden, Bronwyn Stevens, Roger Stevens
Jordan King, Aiden Takarua, Teo Turua, Steve Hoeft def Brian Little, Dean Gilshnan, Ian Monaghan, Jason Hawe
Pete Hodson, James Pugh, Barrie Andrews, Tom Taiaroa def Paddy Stewart, Kerry Becks, Craig Carter, Tom Tamati
