Marathon first-round loss costs Merrilees national singles glory

It was a case of so agonisingly close, yet so painfully far for Southland’s elite bowler Craig Merrilees who narrowly missed out on national glory last week.

Representing the Waikiwi Bowling Club after taking out the Southland Centre singles earlier in the season, and proving too classy for fellow contenders at the zone 6 regional qualifiers last month, Merrilees found himself flying the flag for the lower South Island (including Dunedin, Central Otago, North Otago, South Otago and South Canterbury) at the Bowls New Zealand National Club Championships in Tauranga.

Hosted at the Tauranga South greens, Merrilees went toe-to-toe with five other regional winners in a bid for national stardom and an opportunity to perform in the national arena.

While the Southland hopeful started out in strong form against Manawatu’s Ross Ellery, an eventual scoreline of 25-22 went against Merrilees in a loss that proved critical at the final count.

The match-up proved a marathon effort for both bowlers, with inclement weather halting play on several occasions, and play eventually transferred to the Frankton Junction Club in Hamilton, action resumed at the large indoor com- plex and concluded late into the evening. Nelson’s Murray Scott opted to withdraw from the event before completing the first round, choosing not to travel to Hamilton.

His departure left a gaping bye and left Merrilees twiddling his thumbs on day two – as Ellery’s points continued to accumulate.

Despite the first-round loss, Merrilees went on to thrash his two other opponents on day one, including a crushing win over Taranaki’s impressive Dean Elgar, who recently formed a key part of the winning national Taranaki sevens side, and the highly reputable Colin Rogan, of North Harbour. However, Merrilees’ efforts proved in vain as Ellery held the throttle down, creeping past Rogan 19-18, drawing with Hawke’s Bay’s Hugh Jorgenson and dispatching Elgar 25-14 to go through unbeaten.

Although disappointed, Merrilees was happy with his overall performance and was thrilled to take second place among the country’s best.

‘‘I had control of the game against Ross for the majority but a few ends in the rain proved to be the difference,’’ he said.

‘‘Ross played very consistent bowls and thoroughly deserved the win. [In saying that], it’s been quite a good season for me and I’ve still got one more event left to play [champion of champion fours] . . . so that’s one more shot at a title.’’

For Merrilees, his display and impressive overall results this season will undoubtedly see him awarded Bowls Southland Senior Bowler of the Year for the third consecutive year – having an unassailable lead with two championship events remaining.

Meanwhile, all focus will turn to the Professional Bowls Association Invercargill circuit, which gets under way at the Waverley Bowls Stadium over Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

Merrilees will form part of the five-man New Zealand squad selected to take on Australia in July – after the latest rankings have him second in the country, 10 points behind Dunedin’s Ken Walker.