Toomey bows out as big guns march on
In the space of just two days, Nicole Toomey has experienced it all at the New Zealand bowls championships in Auckland.
After a wonderful title win in the singles on Monday, Toomey failed to qualify in the women’s pairs yesterday.
Toomey, playing with Tannith Potgieter, after only one win on Tuesday, posted two more which meant she needed another in the last round to get through.
But it was not to be. Playing an Auckland combination of Caroline Dubios and
Denise West – who also needed the win to qualify – it was Dubios and West who prevailed 15-11.
There were some anxious moments for some of the other contenders, but in the final wash up they survived.
Included in that group were the champions of two seasons ago in the women’s pairs, Lisa Prideaux and Val Smith.
Smith suffered a second loss yesterday morning – following one on Tuesday – going down 18-16 to Kirsty Hill. Hill is the sister of men’s pairs winner, Jamie. But wins in the last two rounds were enough for Prideaux and Smith to make Thursday’s rounds. Despite losses during the day, Angela and Mandy Boyd, plus Linda Ralph and Reen Stratford, and Selina Smith and Dale Rayner qualified with a game to spare. Ashleigh Jeffcoat and Debbie White advanced unscathed After a loss on Tuesday, Tayla Bruce and Clare Hendra sneaked past Jacqueline Broderson and Karen Hema by just one point. They were emphatic 31-2 victors in the next to give themselves the luxury of a game off.
In the men’s singles, defending champion Andrew Kelly came through a ticklish draw and prevailed over three competent competitors. He certainly didn’t get things all his own way in the opening round, prevailing 21-18 over Teo Turua.
Life was more relaxing after that, with Kelly beating the 1992 runner-up, Brett O’Riley, 21-9. Kelly then ensured qualification with a 21-12 win over Craig Merrilees.
Michael Kernaghan, Shannon
McIlroy, Petar Sain and Gary Lawson – all winners of the singles on more than one occasion – all won three straight.
But Taylor Horn, the champion in 2019, fell 21-17 in round two to Dennis Duncan. Horn then exited the event when he lost 21-20 in round four to Aidan Zittersteijn in a match both players needed to win to qualify.
Other noted players to qualify via the direct route were Seamus Curtin, Finbar McGuigan and Michael Galloway.
It was Galloway who ended the hopes of the 2017 winner Dean Elgar in the third game. Elgar had suffered an earlier defeat to Karl Kelsall.