Written by Grant Hassel for stuff.co.nz
Jo Edwards’ powerful team is through to the semifinals of the women’s fours at the New Zealand Bowls Championships in New Plymouth.
Edwards’ team of Tayla Bruce, Kirsten Edwards and Val Smith were convincing 24-6 winners over Hikurangi’s Anne Bateman and her composite side in the quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon.
After Bateman opened with a brace, four ends in a row to the Edwrads side made it 8-2 to the tournament favourites. And by the 10-end mark the game was effectively over with Edwards leading 15-4.
Edwards will meet a side skipped by Wanganui’s Ann Loveridge in the semifinals on Friday morning at Paritutu.
Loveridge, playing with Robyn Rintoul, Dianne Patterson and Marilyn Constantine, beat Johnsonville’s Dale Rayner 19-15 in the quarterfinals. Rayner led 13-5 after 11 ends, but a three followed by a six not only brought Loveridge back into the game but also provided the momentum to take the clash.
The other semifinal will feature Sarah Scott (North East Valley) against Lisa White (Naenae).
Scott skips a competitive side of Debbie White, Katelyn Inch and Bronwyn Stevens, while White’s team includes Jessie Macaw, Natasha Russell and Kimberley Hemingway.
Scott’s side was responsible for ending the hopes of two members of last year’s winning team, skip Leigh Griffin (Victoria) and Angela Boyd, 23-11 in the last eight.
Scott led 9-0 after five ends and while Griffin was still in touch at 16-11 after 12 of the 18 ends, Scott’s team finished the better to win. Inch remains the only player alive in all three disciplines.
A four followed by a five mid-game went a long way to securing Lisa White’s victory over Ann Muir (Kensington) 24-12 in the remaining quarterfinal.
After the fours semifinals on Friday morning, the women will then play the quarter and semifinals of the pairs.
Meanwhile, teams skipped by Peter Belliss (Aramoho), Dean Drummond (Hastings), Dean Elgar (West End) and Ali Forsyth (Nelson) are the semifinalists in the men’s fours.
Belliss, skipping Lance Tasker, Blake Signal and Richard Girvan, prevailed 16-13 over Bart Robinson (Helensville), whose team was impressively skipped by Dennis Brewster. Both sides scored on nine ends each, but eight of the Brewster scoring ends were just singles. Belliss led 14-6 after 14 ends but a five to Brewster then tightened the match up.
Drummond broke free over the closing stages to beat Russell Hardy’s Nolantown team, skipped by Scott Roberts, 19-11. Drummond’s team includes Seamus Curtin, Lloyd Fitness and Richard Hocking.
Forsyth and his side of John Young, Paul Titcombe and Tony Wood dominated most of the match against Gary Lawson (Sumner), winning 21-12. Lawson was skipping Roger Stevens, Chris Le Lievre and Neville Rodda.
Elgar produced outstanding shots on the last two ends to enable his team of John Garrud, Neil Candy and Gerry O’Sullivan to beat Phil Taylor (Bridge Park) 21-19. Taylor’s side, which was skipped by Teo Turua and included Luka Mataora and John Almond, led 19-14 with two to play. On the penultimate end, Elgar pushed through the Auckland bowl for three and then drew the bonus. And on the last end, he ran off the counting Auckland bowl to score a three.
The semifinals will be played on Friday when the players become available from the singles, which may mean playing indoors at night.
At a glance
New Zealand Bowls Championships men’s fours post-section results
Men’s fours post section results:
Round 1: B Baldwin (Paritutu) 21 V Prasad (Tawa) 7, R Hardy (Nolantown) 16 R Martin (Victoria) 15, S McCartain (Gate Pa) 15 T Osment (Te Awamutu) 14, D Elgar (West End) 19 K Hills (Alton) 14, S Bagrie-Howley (Gore) 24 K Bishop (West End) 13, P Taylor (Bridge Park) 18 J Zittersteijn (Vogeltown) 10, R Greaney (Elmwood) 15 R Park (Wanganui) 14, G Lawson (Sumner) 17 N Hill (Onehunga & Districts) 13, R Ashton (Carlton Cornwall) 27 P Corney (Aramoho) 12, A Forsyth (Nelson) 22 S Love (Johnston Park) 21, B Down (Victoria) 18 S Hoeft (Pt Chevalier) 15. Round 2: D Brewster (Hikurangi) 21 R Henderson (West End) 11, P Belliss (Aramoho) 22 R Lovie (Wainuiomata) 2, D Drummond (Hastings) 19 Baldwin 4, Hardy 23 McCartain 4, Elgar 17 Bagrie-Howley 16, Taylor 23 Greaney 14, Lawson 16 Ashton 13, Forsyth 22 Down 19. Round 3: Belliss 16 Brewster 13, Drummond 19 Hardy 11, Elgar 21 Taylor 19, Forsyth 21 Lawson 12.
Women’s fours post section results:
Round 1: L White (Naenae) 23 G Melrose (Papakura) 9, A Muir (Kensington) 19 J Moyle (Waipu) 15, J Ropitini (West End) 18 A Temple (Pt Chevalier) 16. Round 2: J Edwards (United) 20 C Andrews (Paritutu) 12, A Bateman (Hikurangi) 23 R Schischka (Johnston Park) 14, A Loveridge (Wanganui) 15 J Howat (Lyall Bay) 13, D Rayner (Johnsonville) 20 C Nicoll (Inglewood) 3, S Scott (North East Valley) 18 A Motu (Pt Chevalier) 12, L Griffin (Victoria) 25 A Rennie (Carlton Cornwall) 18, White 28 N Hewson (West End) 7, Muir 22 Ropitini 14. Round 3: Edwards 24 Bateman 6, Loveridge 19 Rayner 15, Scott 23 Griffin 11, White 24 Muir 12.
Schedule for Friday:
Women’s (all at Paritutu): fours semifinals 8.30am; pairs quarterfinals 11.30am; pairs semifinals 2pm; singles semifinals 2pm if players available else 4.30pm.
Men’s: singles 8.30am at Paritutu, West End and Fitzroy; fours semifinals at Paritutu at 5.30pm or earlier if players are available.
