West End prove too good
West End have run out comfortable winners of the Taranaki men’s bowls division one interclub event.
The West End Blue side has headed home the 10-team field on 42 points, with Paritutu, the champions of the past four seasons, second on 34 and West End White third on 33.
West End Blue’s powerful singles and pairs disciplines paved the way on Saturday for their victory at Stratford-Avon. Dean Elgar won his three games, to finish with eight wins from nine rounds, while the Taranaki representative duo of John Roberts and Craig Johns also won all three games. They finished with seven wins overall.
John Sexton’s four, weakened on Saturday, concluded with five wins and two draws.
Darren Goodin (Paritutu) had the distinction of winning all nine games of singles to be the best performed player in the event.
Jordan Linn and Steve Walker (West End White) recorded seven wins and one draw in the pairs, while Wayne Hawkes and Bruce Hall (Vogeltown) had seven wins.
The best of the fours combinations was the Alton quartet skipped by Mark Anderson that had six wins and one draw.
Tower finished bottom of the ladder and have been relegated to the second division for next season.
Their place in the top flight will be taken by Stratford-Avon, who defeated Paritutu 2-1 in the second division final at West End on Saturday.
Despite Malcolm Hoskin losing to John Cottam in the singles, John Forde and Paul Digby took the pairs and John Sextus, Colin Jones, Maurie Stieller and Kevin Mischefski won the fours.
❏ Stratford-Avon hosts the Taranaki women’s open pairs this weekend, with the final scheduled for Monday.
There are 40 teams in the event, including last year’s champions, Yvonne Hallard and Gale Fache (Vogeltown).
❏ Bowls Taranaki chairman Brien Bennett has announced that in response to the surge in first-year players this season, a Taranaki singles event for the newcomers will be held later in the season.
‘‘We are endeavouring to finalise a date, in either March or April. We have been delighted with the way many clubs have embraced the drive for new members, with more than 70 signed up so far this season.’’
❏ Alton’s annual two-day classic was won this season by a composite South Taranaki side of Brendan Anderson, Clive Phillips, Mark Kuklinski and Scott Roberts.
Alistair Hurley, Bruce Phillips, John Roberts and Mark Anderson were second, with the defending champions Alex McKay, Midge Shaw, Dennis Osborne and Garry Murfitt finishing third.
Meanwhile, a large contingent of Taranaki teams competed in the popular Wanganui East women’s classic last week. Paritutu’s Cathy Andrews, Barbara Batley, Margie Davis and Val Keightley took out top prize, with third going to a Hawera Park side headed by Kristin Stampa.
❏ While entry numbers for this season’s Dominion, to be held in Dunedin, have yet to be released, when the draw becomes known there will be plenty of cynics rushing in with the reason why numbers are so small.
Last season, the women’s fours was won by a virtual New Zealand side in Tayla Bruce, Kirsten Edwards, Val Smith and Jo Edwards.
Among the men’s entries this season is a side comprising Justin Goodwin, Shannon McIlroy, Gary Lawson and Ali Forsyth, all past singles winners.
We will be told that stacked composite sides is the reason why the club bowlers don’t attend the nationals anymore. But the majority of those club bowlers in the next breath will go and stack their own teams for club and centre events.