Lawson, Forsyth lift pairs crown
Sherrie Cottle and Bev Morel (Elmwood Park) and Gary Lawson (Eastbourne) leading for Ali Forsyth (Clayton) have been crowned pairs champions in contrasting finals at the New Zealand bowls championships in Dunedin yesterday.
Cottle and Morel powered away from an out-of-sorts Ashleigh Jeffcoat (Frankton Junction) and Dale Rayner (Johnsonville) 19-6 to claim the women’s title, while Lawson and Forsyth came from behind to beat Lance Tasker (Tauranga) and Peter Belliss (Aramoho) 21-14 in the men’s decider.
Tasker and Belliss grabbed the initiative in the opening exchanges of men’s final. With Tasker gaining the ascendancy over Lawson, the 1995 champions opened up an 8-1 lead after six ends.
Lawson and Forsyth took a three on the seventh, but Lawson remained a little erratic, which Belliss was able to take advantage of with some accurate draw play netting a two and a three on 10th and 12th ends. That made it 14-7 but Forsyth then began to counter Belliss.
After Belliss had drawn the shot on the next, Forsyth drew two to commence what was a spectacular comeback. Belliss still looked in control when he drew a pearler on the next, but a brilliant Forsyth drive netted two and reduced the margin to just three before what became the fateful 15th end.
Lawson drew two immaculate shots and believing the jack could not go back, Belliss attacked with his final bowl. But into the ditch the jack went and the count of five gave Lawson and Forsyth the lead for the first time. A three and two completed the transformation.
‘‘We weren’t playing brilliantly,’’ Forsyth said afterwards of their struggles. ‘‘But we were able to hang tough. Gary played really well in that last third.’’
In the women’s final, a six on the 10th end set Cottle and Morel up for their victory.
Early exchanges were relatively even, although the veteran Morel, aged 76, began to convert heads, turning over negative counts to positive ones on the third, fifth and sixth ends.
Cottle then got on top of Jeffcoat and after leading 7-4, the six gave the Canterbury duo immense confidence.
Jeffcoat and Rayner pulled back a couple of singles, making it 13-6 after 12 ends. The game was at a potential crossroad, but Cottle was in control, while Rayner, in endeavouring to retrieve, kept finding the holes.
Team manager Peter Morel summed up the victory saying that ‘‘Sherrie led like a dream and Bev played the shots.’’
The title was Cottle’s first at the championships and Morel’s third, while Lawson has now collected 12 and Forsyth eight.