McIlroys win mixed pairs title
Stoke’s Shannon and Amy McIlroy have won their second Bowls Nelson Centre 2-4-2 mixed pairs title after a tight 17-16 win over Mike Wilson and Margaret Eames at the Motueka Bowling Club on Saturday.
However, the two New Zealand representatives were taken to an extra end in the final after Wilson and Eames had scored two shots on the 16th end.
In an absorbing final, the scores had been tied 6-6 after nine of the required 16 ends before Wilson and Eames edged ahead 14-6 after 13. But the game took a dramatic turn when the McIlroys scored a two on the 14th and a maximum eight on the 15th to lead by two heading into the final end.
Wilson and Eames again levelled the scores, Amy McIlroy drawing shot with her second bowl to eventually secure the win. The McIlroys will now represent Nelson at the regional playoffs in Greymouth in March.
Twenty six pairs had qualified for post section play, with Motueka’s Tony Fowler and Pauline Cawthra beating previous winners and clubmates Ron and Rae Inglis 13-12 to progress to the quarterfinals.
The composite pairing of Nelson’s Gary Collins and Motueka’s Justine Cowman beat Nelson’s George Barbir and Faye Wilkinson 13-12, Richmond’s Stu Peterson and Jean McKenzie beat Motueka’s Wayne Tibble and Fiona Prosser 22-1.
Wilson and Eames had a surprisingly comfortable 25-8 win over Stoke’s Lloyd and Rhonda Bellis, while defending champions Nelson’s Kevin Wilkinson and Helen Winstone got home 18-12 over Motueka’s brother and sister combination Craig Fowler and Sheryl Riordan.
The strong Stoke combination of John Haddock and Barbara Thomason were comfortable 21-8 winners over Wakefield’s husband and wife pair of Peter and Linda Sisterson.
United’s Dean Surridge and Dianne Potts lost 19-2 to Stoke’s Mike Carter and Elaine Hemi while the McIlroys claimed the final quarterfinal spot with a narrow 11-10 win over clubmates John and Mary Orbell.
In the quarterfinals, Fowler and Cawthra beat Collins and Cowman 21-5, Wilson and Eames beat Peterson and McKenzie 20-12, Haddock and Thomason beat Wilkinson and Winstone 17-13 and the McIlroys got home 16-10 over Carter and Hemi.
The semifinals produced some outstanding bowls from all four pairs with the McIlroys showing why they have both represented New Zealand with a comprehensive 17-2 over Haddock and Thomason, a score that did nor reflect the quality of Haddock and Thomason’s play.
Wilson and Eames were 19-10 winners over Fowler and Cawthra.