The Stoke Thunder has lived up to its pre-tournament billing, taking the early lead in the inaugural Bowls3Five televised league.
The Nelson club has recorded its second straight emphatic win, beating the Point Chevalier Pirates 5-2, 8-3 in the final match of the second night of competition, after some earlier tie-breaker drama at the New Lynn Bowling Club in Auckland.
The Thunder quelled the exuberant Pirates’ supporters by picking up the first five shots of the match, with James Pugh and Kirsten Edwards again setting the table for Stoke skip Peter Hodson.
Pt Chev collected the first shot of the second set, but dropped five on the next end to see its hopes all but fade.
The Pirates then took their power play on the third end in what was their final throw of the dice. They held four shots before Hodson delivered a telling drive to steal the end.
“Once again I got set up by the front two who played really, really good all night,” Hodson said.
“That felt really good, so let’s hope that continues.”
The Gore Rams sit just a point behind the Thunder after also collecting their second win of the competition. But Gore needed a tie-breaker end to beat the Woodend Jets.
After a tight start to the first set, the Rams’ trio of Ashleigh Jeffcoat, Caleb Hope and Sheldon Bagrie-Howley took control, by picking up four shots on the fourth end, and Gore eventually took the set 6-3.
The Jets then came back from 5-2 down in the second set, thanks to fine bowls from Alex ‘Grizz’ Wyllie and his partner Jenny Anderson, to take it 6-5 and force a winner-takes-all end.
Unfortunately for Woodend, the Jets were unable to deliver in the crunch, with the Rams collecting three shots to win the tie-breaker end and the match.
“Certainly the nerves were up there…but Ashleigh started us off really well…and we’re happy to get over the line,” Hope said.
The Royal Oak Rockets opened the evening and their account with a comprehensive 5-3, 9-5 win over the fancied Stokes Valley Vipers.
Robyn Fisher, Martin Dixon and Rockets skip Mike Galloway produced a much-improved performance from the opening night and they never trailed the Vipers.
Stokes Valley opted to take its power play in just the second end of the match after dropping two shots on the first, but it didn’t come off.
Royal Oak picked up a shot on the second and then another two on the third to take command of the first set. The Vipers rallied but it was too late.
The Rockets then raced out to a commanding 8-0 lead in the second set after picking up three shots on the second end, which counted as six as it was their power play.
Seamus Curtin and Blake Signal threatened a Stokes Valley comeback when they picked up four shots on the third end and held a couple on the fourth. But a clinical Galloway drive gave the shot to the Rockets and extinguished the Vipers’ hopes.
Martin Dixon blamed new bowls for Royal Oak’s opening night struggles.
“These are bowls I never use…my bowls are a totally different line to these,” Dixon said.
“The rest of the guys played well as well so we’re good.”
Day 2 results
Royal Oak Rockets bt Stokes Valley Vipers 5-3, 9-5
Gore Rams bt Woodend Jets 6-3, 5-6 (Gore won tie-breaker end 3-0)
Stokes Thunder bt Point Chevalier Pirates 5-2, 8-3
Standings after two rounds
Stoke Thunder 10
Gore Rams 9
Royal Oak Rockets 5
Pt Chev Pirates 5
Woodend Jets 1
Stokes Valley Vipers 0
-ENDS-
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