Double delight for Johnston Park’s Love

Finals day at Palmerston North on Saturday turned into the most successful outing for Johnston Park in its decade-long history.

The Feilding bowlers bagged the men’s fours and then the men’s singles for the second year in a row.

The first final to be played was the women’s fours, contested by the local powerhouses of women’s bowls, Northern and Terrace End.

This time the timeless Bev Budd’s Terrace End line-up of Georgie Kahui-rogers, Hine Bennett-davies and Lynley Rogers comfortably disposed of Chris Quinn’s Northern team of Noeleen Elston, Carol Davidson and Viv Lozell.

The men’s fours semifinals went in line with the form book.

Brian Little’s ‘who’s who’ of Palmerston North heavyweights Ross Ellery, Steve Toms and Graeme Cooley overpowered former club-mate Chris Barrett and his Johnston Park team.

Meanwhile, Stephen Love, Tony Jensen, Bruce Harris and Wayne Sellars booked their Johnston Park team a final spot by sneaking home on the final end against Darryl Johnson’s surprise packet Himatangi Beach side.

The final was tightly contested but then Little’s side, winners last year, took a promising lead half way through and went into the final end still ahead 14-10.

Those still paying attention saw the front end of Love’s team set up a textbook head.

Sellars was close, Harris drew two perfect shots and Jensen added a fifth shot.

Little inspected the head but the dangerous drives he then unleashed glanced off front bowls and suddenly Love’s men were dancing with delight, having pulled off the win and ticket to the national pathways finals 15-14.

It was a stunning outcome to a gripping match and a 13th title for Sellars, many years after his earlier glory days.

Love agreed to step out again after a brief break, hoping to douse his pesky challenger, Northern’s Tim Hook, and add the singles title to his bag for the day.

Hook only had one life left and Love had two, but Hook refused to go down easily.

Drawing superbly, he gradually took charge and battled his way to a 21-17 victory.

This had been a long, tough struggle and Love now had to defend his second life.

Hook continued to play superbly in the re-match, but Love lifted his game back to earlier levels and another lengthy slugging match developed.

The festive meal at the host club had to be put on hold for over half an hour before Love finally satisfied the form book by winning the game and title 21-18.

Hook’s fine performance in the event proved he is again a force on the local scene, while Love’s second title on the same day was probably unprecedented in Manawatu centre history.

Pundits don’t doubt that he’s as good as many of the legendary luminaries who trod local greens in past decades.

The next centre event is the open triples on January 14 and 15.