Bowls Bay of Plenty Centre Triples

The first of the season event of Triples was played at the newly refurbished Matua. At the start of

the tournament were sixty teams. Massive shout outs to Te Puke for getting many of their men’s

teams into the last 16 and 8. Also to Katikati for getting to the semi-finals in the ladies and final in

the men’s.

In the men’s draw it came down to a contest between Katikati team of Kevin Mahon, Neville Canute

and Alan Burwell and the Ohope team of Des Connor, Ray Owens and Mark Sarginson. The first two

ends were dominated by the consistent bowling of the Mahon and Canute. Which then developed

into an arm wrestle between the leads on Mahon and Connor.

Burwell started strong. Applying the pressure to Sarginson but it wasn’t until the middle stages of

the game where Sarginson started to change the momentum with some great runners and superb

drawing touch. It was counter punch after counter punch match but it was Ohope that came out in

victorious 15-10 at the end of the game.

It was Ngongotaha’s team of Charlene Beckett, Mina Paul and Leoni Renata up against the

Composite team of Keli Alefaio, Jocelyn Holten and Angela Stephen in the women’s final. It was

Beckett that started the game strongest having her two bowls close in and around the head. Keli

valiantly tried to get at least one on the head in reply to the early pace set by Beckett.

Both skips had to contend with a few short bowls with Renata often adding pressure or coming up

with an extra one. While Stephen was forced into many running shots to alter the head or drawing

to cut down. But it was the great skill of Paul who managed to sit and replace or push her teams

bowl in for shot. This was highlighted on the twelfth end when she sent down two daggers inside

Holten’s bowl that was sitting only a bowl away from the jack.

Ultimately, it was the tightening grip of Ngongotaha on the match that squeezed the Composite side

into a corner they were unable to get out of leaving them to shake hands after 14 ends. Ngongotaha

winning 19-8 and becoming the Triples champions.

It was also Mina Paul’s 30th centre title. Congratulation’s

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