Waitangi Day win for Alton, Inglewood
Waitangi Day turned into an extra special celebration for the Alton and Inglewood clubs after they provided the respective winners to the Taranaki men’s open triples and mixed pairs events respectively.
In the Clegg’s Funeral Services sponsored triples, at Hawera Park, it was Clive Phillips, Alistair Hurley and Kevin Hills who took the honours 21-14 from their former clubmate, Bruce Phillips and his West End side of Steve Temperton and John Roberts. Inglewood president Cindy Nichol collected her second Taranaki crown of the season, and third in total, when she and Steve Sabine, a third-year-player, upset Paritutu’s Ian and Cathy Andrews 23-11 in the Cross Country Rentals sponsored mixed pairs decider at West End.
Hills’ side generally held the advantage throughout the triples finale. They led 11-5, then 16-8, and while the West End team closed to
16-12 and then 17-13, it was Alton that took the honours. Bruce Phillips had edged Tower’s Scott Roberts 19-18 in one semifinal, with Hills ending the hopes of Jocky Bright (West End) 26-15 in the other.
Nichol and Sabine were assisted by a six early on in their match against the Andrews. But the Paritutu pair had the score back to 11-all at the mid-point, before Inglewood dominated the second stanza to prevail. In the semifinals, the Andrews nosed out Kristin Stampa (Hawera Park)
17-16 while Nichol sneaked past Frank Pollock (Hawera Park)
16-14.
The victory for Sabine, the first in his developing career, came shortly after he was named in the Taranaki senior representative side to compete in the Hexagonal in Palmerston North on February 17-18. Sabine will lead in the B pairs for clubmate Gerry O’Sullivan, with the experienced combination of John Roberts and Craig Johns the A pairs in the Revital Fertiliser Taranaki side. Darren Goodin and Ian Lowry are the singles exponents in the men’s side, with an all-West End side of Jordan Linn, John Garrud, Steve Walker and Dean Elgar comprising the four. In the women’s team, Sue Winter and Rhonda Adams will play the singles, with the pairs comprising Faye Gecse leading for Maree Gadsby and Leanne Halls combining with Gloria Shaw. The fours side is Val McEldowney, Chris Commane, Susan Cottam and Cathy Andrews.
Taranaki’s champion women’s clubs were victorious at the regional playoff in Wellington on Saturday and will return to the capital on March 3-4 for the national final.
Paritutu won the women’s first division, with West End taking out the women’s second tier. In the men’s top flight West End were narrowly headed off by the importladen Eastbourne.
Heather Johns’ quartet of Berys Norgate, Val Keightley and Gloria Shaw were the mainstays of Paritutu, winning three games decisively. Cathy Andrews (singles) and Bridget Fletcher and Barbara Batley (pairs) had one win and two losses each.
The winning West End team was Susan Cottam (singles), Leeanne Halls and Jackie Moeahu (pairs), Gaye Holub, Melita Bracken, Jan Johnson and Janice Ropitini (fours).