Ashton wins national bowls fours

Rob Ashton representing Johnsonville has combined with Grant Wakefield, Dick Williams and Sy Baker to win the National Club Championship Fours in Tauranga at the weekend.

Ashton, needing to win his fifth game of round-robin play to put the result beyond doubt, sealed the title with a convincing win 21-10 over Larry Sutherland’s Stoke four to remain unbeaten with four wins and a draw from runners-up Terry Scott’s North East Valley team who finished with three wins and a draw from five games.

For Ashton, who also plays in Auckland for the Carlton Cornwall Club, the win completed a tremendous season where he has amassed four national titles as well as a prestigious win in the Burnside pairs, played in January, with local Canterbury representative Roger Glendinning and a Silver Star forfive National Club titles.

In the women’s fours played concurrently Jan McLeay, from Arawa, in the Bay of Plenty and her team of Shona Hay, Margaret Griffin and Suzanne Meek remained unbeaten in their five games to win by three- match points over the Carol Hawes’ Gisborne four. (North East Valley) 10 pts +41 diff;

3rd: P Sain, V Marsic, J Collins, T Garelja (Carlton Cornwall) 9 pts +4 diff; 4th: W Olliff, M Mathews, C Demler, K Garrett (Thames) 7 pts +10 diff;

5th B Little, R Henn, B Henn, E Watson (Palmerston North) 4 pts -33 diff; 6th: L Sutherland, T Closey, L Bellis, D Merritt (Stoke) 0 pts -53 diff;

WOMEN

1st: J McLeay, S Hay, MGriffin, S Meek (Arawa) 15 pts +37 diff; 2nd: C Hawes, L Reeve, A Day, L McIntosh (Gisborne) 12 pts +15 diff;

3rd: K De Jongh, B Crowe, L Badenhorst, H Van Der Walt (Carlton Cornwall) 6 pts +5 diff; 4th: L Anderson, M Rowatt, R White, E Anderson (Aramoho) 6 pts -1 diff;

5th: K Griffin, C Earl, L Erasmus, D Potts (United) 6 pts -19 diff; 6th: M Preston, P Shanks, J Pickett, L Evans (Otatara) 0 pts -37 diff. FOURS RESULTS MEN

1st: R Ashton, G Wakefield, D Williams, S Baker (Johnsonville) 13 pts +32 diff; 2nd: T Scott, J Scott, A McLean, C Wheeler