WinterClub

Finals
24 July 2022

Auckland Bowls WinterClub season is over for another year, with the trophy finding a new home!  Let’s start at the beginning:

Twenty-three clubs entered 32 sides (two teams of four) in this year’s competition.  Qualifying was over three Sundays of which we were blessed with fine weather that was sandwiched between some of the worst that Auckland could muster.  The format was bonus fours, so team tactics and upfront consistency was paramount.

The scores that came through made for intriguing reading with some draws and others with a 68-point differential.  Ultimately eight teams qualified.  Luckily the Finals were held under cover at Remuera as the weather was a stereo-typical Auckland winter.

Remuera’s President, Peter Bennett, did the honours of drawing the names from the hat.  In a rare feat of statistics, all games saw a winner of one section versus a runner-up from a different section - how about that!

With the scores being treated as an aggregate across both teams, differential maths needed to be included in a Skip’s skill set, for example in the first quarter-final between Te Atatu and Onehunga & Districts the scores were 39-14 and 13-36.  The other quarter-final games were decided on differentials of seven or less.

The first Semi-final between Te Atatu and Pringle Park was a tight affair with the Park prevailing 18-25 and 22-20 (40-45). The second Semi-final between Pt Chevalier and Papatoetoe saw Pt Chev win with a differential of six, which can be attributed to their superior bonus points.

The final between Pringle Park and Pt Chev was a tightly fought match.  In the Fours 1 game, the seventh end, Pt Chev picked up a bonus one and then a five to jump out to a nine-point lead.  Pringle Park clawed their way back to reduce that to seven after 14 ends.  In the Fours 2 game, Pt Chev had a six-point lead after six ends; however, Pringle Park had squared the ledger after 11 ends.  Points were then shared and after 14 ends the score was 21 all.

The final end saw Pt Chev show their strength and won three of the four bonus points on offer plus both teams won the end to score a comfortable result on the board.

When handing over the trophy, Pringle Park thanked the tournament organisers, thanked Remuera for their hospitality and congratulated Pt Chev on their deserved win.  Congratulations Pt Chevalier and well done Pringle Park.

Contributed by Gerard Hulst

Winner - Pt Chevalier Pirates: Kevin Morris, Keith Earl, Nick Thompson, Graham Edwards, Gareth Lambert, John Petelo, Gary Lawrence, Jo McKenna

Runner-up - Pringle Park Thunder: Andy Ellis, Damien Matthews, Marty Griff, Dollar, Jason Bucham, Andy Kemp, Darryl Maki, Steve Orr

NZ Champ of Champs Fours

Bowls Hastings
22-23 July 2022

It was a great effort from our two Auckland teams. Carlton Cornwall and Pt Chevalier both qualified for Post Section.

The ladies from Carlton Cornwall lost in the first round of post section in a tight tussle that went to an extra end - losing to Pirongia, 12-11.

The men from Pt Chevalier bundled out of the first round of post section in another closely fought match against Paritutu, 12-10.

There aren't any trophies this time, but we trust both teams enjoyed the competition. 

Congratulations to Lisa Dickson, Lauren Mills, Robyne Walker & Anne Dorreen from Takapuna for winning the Women's Fours and to Darren Goodin, Adam Collins, Rodger Hassall & Nathan Goodin from Paritutu for winning the Men's Fours.