My first port of call with Peter Belliss is Balmoral Bowling Club. Section 4 Women. 4 centres – Taranaki, Canterbury, Counties Manukau and Wellington.
With only one round completed yesterday, Canterbury had won all three, and is standing on 6 shots.
The recent 2018 New Zealand Open Singles winner, Leanne Paulson from Counties Manukau, is struggling to find her rhythm. Taranaki’s Sue Winter is putting on a great display of bowls. Leanne manages to win an end 11-1 down. The rest is history. She forges through with conversion shots and great draw shots to secure a win 21-16.
Youngsters on the green. 16 year old Alex Wilkinson - lead in the Canterbury pairs, and Emily Miller – two in the Canterbury fours, play great bowls far beyond their years enabling Canterbury another clean sweep round.
Blockhouse Bay Bowling Club Men’s Section 4 has the two previous Under 8’s national titleholders. North Harbour bowling to secure the opportunity to make it three in a row.
North Harbour singles player Daryl Read is a new addition to the victorious squad, slotting in to the position New Zealand Development Player Rory Snowden left vacant because of work commitments. Daryl has a hard-fought battle against another young South Island bowler, Caleb Hope. The game is very even with all shots used in their arsenal. Caleb secures the win 21-19.
The North Harbour pairs combination, Errol ‘Iceman’ Koroi and Bevan Smith, from last year’s victorious team have a big game on their hands against the young duo of Stefan McCartin and Nathan Arlidge. The Bay of Plenty team jumps out to a 5-shot lead halfway through the 18-end game. North Harbour responds with winning ends of 2, 3 and 4 – tying it all up at 17-all on the 16th end. Superb drawing by the North Harbour players turns the tables and they win 21-20. This gives Bay of Plenty three losses in round 4 – but with other successes they hold on to runner-up position.
Auckland Bowling Club seems a fitting place to end our tour of the greens.
The section 4 runner-up position is not decided until the second-to-last end of the fours match between Whanganui and Kapiti Coast. Young 18-year old singles player Sammie Sweeny from Kapiti edges out Auckland’s Ling Qu to give Kapiti a chance to secure runner-up and a position in the top 8. Sammie’s drawing game and yard on shots is the answer to Ling Qu, winning 21-13.
Kapiti Coast has a clean sweep round, but Auckland is a clear winner overall with 28 points to Kapiti’s 19 game points.
Sunday morning will bring the top 8 from both men and women – with a chance to win the 2018 National Under 8’s Intercentre title.
Post-section Play
Women
Nelson and Waikato
Dunedin and Kapiti Coast
Bay of Plenty and Canterbury
Auckland and Counties Manukau
Men
Marlborough and Thames Valley
Bay of Plenty and Northland
Auckland and Wellington
North Harbour and Dunedin
