White storms to thrilling title win

Hinuera’s Debbie White stormed home to snatch a sensational victory in the final of the women’s singles at the New Zealand bowls championships in Auckland yesterday.

Backed by a vocal crowd of supporters from her club and workmates from BNZ in Matamata, White came from a seemingly impossible 20-11 deficit to deny Carlton Cornwall’s Selina Goddard 21-20 in dramatic circumstances.

‘‘It’s just my time,’’ White said. ‘‘I felt sick at the end, I couldn’t watch her last bowl.’’

Goddard dominated the first two-thirds of the final, opening up an 18-9 lead. Two ends later it was 20-11.

But White pulled back a single, a four, a three, then a further single as Goddard lost her touch. Goddard regained her composure on the final end, drawing just a few centimetres in front of the jack.

‘‘I knew I had to play the shot of my life,’’ White said afterwards.

And the shot of her life she did play, drawing the jack away to take the initiative. Goddard, with her final bowl, ran at the head, going between the jack and the bowl. It left the crowd roaring, and White celebrating her first title at the championships. She has previously won 13 Waikato titles and four national club events.

She is from rich bowling history, with her mother, Jenny Simpson, a past New Zealand representative – ‘‘she inspired me,’’ White proudly said.

With a mixture of steady draw play and accurate upshots, Taylor Horn took out the men’s singles final 21-15 from Hillcrest’s Tony Fabling.

Horn was never headed in the final. Fabling, though, showed the same tenacity as he had the previous day.

He levelled twice, at 7-7 and 10-10, but on both occasions dropped relatively soft threes.

From 14-12, Horn plucked off Fabling’s shot to score a two. A single on the next took him to 17. While Fabling replied with a two, a further two to Horn illustrated the ascendancy was with him.

Horn drew two shots close on the last end.

Fabling ran without success to give Horn, 21, his biggest moment in bowls.

Pairs finals

Mangere’s Jordan King and Chris Lowe and Lisa Prideaux and Val Smith, of Merrylands in NSW, were crowned men’s and women’s pairs winners.

King and Lowe scrapped home 20-19 against Thames’ Karl Garrett and Coromandel’s Colin Gawith in a tense men’s final.

Prideaux and Smith got the nod 20-18 over Carlton Cornwall’s Linda Ralph and Aramoho’s Reen Stratford in an equally thrilling women’s final after the scores were level playing the last end.

King, a 12th-year player with eight Auckland titles, dominated the lead battle in the men’s final. Lowe, 15 times an Auckland champion, provided good early support as the Mangere pair shot away to a 7-0 lead. But Gawith produced a number of telling bowls, keeping the Thames Valley pair in the contest.

When Garrett and Gawith drew two shots each on the 11th end, it gave them the lead 11-10. And when a brave yet intelligent weighted shot from Gawith two ends later netted five, the score became 16-11.

However, King could not be shaken. A three, followed by a four, swung the momentum back to Mangere. Gawith retorted again and took the lead by one playing the final end. He killed the first attempt, but King set up the replay. With his second bowl, Gawith removed all the bowls from close proximity to the jack. Lowe then stood up and drew two shots, and with Gawith short, the title was Mangere’s.

Smith dominated the opening exchanges of the women’s final, leading 8-0.

But Stratford turned the screws after that. Ralph joined the party. And a 12-6 deficit became a 17-14 lead. The title looked to be in their grasp. However, Prideaux, who has recently moved to Waiheke Island from New South Wales, found her composure. With Smith, they posted two braces, which offset by a single to Ralph and Stratford, brought the scores to even with one end remaining.

Prideaux drew close and Smith, seeing the vulnerability of it, offered greater protection by trailing the jack. Stratford ran at the head twice. It was a tough ask swinging across the centre line, her final attempt just sliding by.

It was Smith’s third pairs title, and added to two fours crowns, qualified her for a national gold star.