The new breed of Bay women representatives (well, almost) were on top of the world when they won the prestigious national inter-centre title in Wellington, casting aside more renowned opponents with relative ease.

The Bay team of Sue Hodges (singles), Kaye Bunn and Mina Paul (pairs), Raewyn Willis, Charlene Beckett, Angela Stephen and her daughter Caitlin Thomson (fours) beat defending champions Nelson, with three internationals, two matches to one in the final at a gusty Naenae club.

After the Bay four had beaten the Kirsten Edwards-skipped Nelson side 12-11, leading by three into the final end, and the pair lost to Val Smith and Kay Hammond 9-17, it call came down to the singles contest between Hodges and one of New Zealand bowls’ biggest names, Jo Edwards.

Hodges prevailed 25-21, getting her first win over Edwards and capping a marvellous fortnight after earlier winning the national mixed pairs championship with Dan Dickison.

“Jo had just played a tight game with Taylor Bruce and when we played the final the wind got stronger,” said Hodges. “It took time for us to settle into the rink and some of the heads weren’t pretty and we made some mistakes under-greening. But I was happy with my shot play, and I do thrive on the pressure.”

When Edwards drew short in the windy conditions with her last bowl, Bay players ran onto the green and celebrated the centre’s first victory in eight years.

The Bay, with Hodges (singles), Wendy Green and Lynette McIntosh (pairs) and the four of PK Tamehana, Mere Eden, Paul and Mary Campbell, last won the national inter-centre title in 2017 beating Counties Manukau 2-1. They lost to Nelson in the semi-finals three years ago.

The Bay finished up being the leading centre this season, after the men of Anthony Ouellet (singles), Paul Anderson and Nathan Arlidge (pairs) and the four of Dickison, Alvin Gardiner, Dave Jones and Nick Tomsett reached the semi-finals before falling 0-3 to Wellington, winning the championship three years in a row.

Meanwhile, the Bay juniors distinguished themselves at the Octagonal in Auckland, with the women finishing second to Auckland and the men fifth behind Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, North Harbour and Northland.

In the round-robin event, the women beat Counties Manukau 2-1, Waikato 2.5-0.5, North Harbour 3-0, Northland 2-1, Thames Valley 2-1, but lost to Auckland 0-3 and Hawke’s Bay 0-3.

The men beat Northland 3-0, Thames Valley 2-1, Counties Manukau 2-1, Waikato 2-1, but lost to Hawke’s Bay 0.5-2.5, North Harbour 1-2 and Auckland 0-3. The Bay juniors, however, won the Geddes Trophy for the Zone 2 competition.

Hodges and her Silver Star

A determined and consistent Hodges was the anchor of the Bay triumph in Wellington, and savoured her national Silver Star a day later by having her sore right hip x-rayed before visiting a specialist.

“It’s been sore since I stepped off the bank playing the fours at the Taranaki Open (she was runner-up). For the last nine days (before and during the inter-centre) I was on crutches in between playing to rest the hip.

“I could still bowl – the motion didn’t affect my delivery. I can only thank the selectors for the faith they had in me to go to Wellington with an injury,” said Hodges.

Injured or not, Hodges beat another experienced campaigner Linda Ralph 23-19 in the quarter-finals to secure the Bay’s 3-0 victory over Auckland – with Bunn and Paul beating Kimberley Hemingway and Ashleigh Jeffcoat 18-12 in the pairs, and the Willis-skipped four winning 20-10.

Incredibly, it was another 3-0 triumph over Waikato in the semi-finals – with Hodges beating national singles champion Debbie White 23-19; the pair overpowering Lisa Mundell and Gaylene Kanawa 16-8; and the four wining 23-19.

Hodges won six of her eight matches at the inter-centre, the pair collected four victories and the four an impressive seven wins and a draw. The Bay qualified first in their section, beating Souith Otago 2.5-0.5; Taranaki 2-1; Central Otago 2-1; Thames Valley 2-1; and losing to Northland 1-2.

Hodges said it all came together on day one. “The Octagonal beforehand wasn’t successful – it was for me -but it was a fantastic practice run and it gave the girls time to jell once we got to Wellington. Our focus was to win.

“We had new combinations and it was about players stepping up – premier one is a different level to premier two. Everyone supported each other; it was great,” she said.

“There was a 38-year age gap between me and Caitlin and she slotted in well, as did Angela (fresh from her centre pairs victory skipping Jean Morris) playing in a different position.”

Caitlin Thomson, a national under 26 representative, has now moved to Nelson for a new job and is likely to be missing from Bay competition next season.

Hodges was awarded her Silver Star after winning two inter-centre titles, the national inter-club with the Tauranga club, champion of champions singles and the fours.

“I never thought I would win a national title let alone a Silver Star in the space of six years,” said Hodges.

Asked if she was moving to Christchurch, Hodges said “at the moment it’s on hold but that’s the plan for Barry and me, maybe in one to three years.”

Ouellet’s career-defining win

Like the women, the men cruised through qualifying in Wellington to finish top of their section, beating Canterbury 2-1, Souith Canterbury 2-1, Wairarapa 2-1, South Otago 3-0, Kapiti 2.5-0.5; and Auckland 2-1.

Ouellet captured the biggest win of the career when he beat former world singles champion Shannon McIlroy 25-24 to give the Bay a 2-1 victory over Nelson in the quarter-finals.

The pair of Anderson and Arlidge had beaten Gary Watson and former international Richard Collett 18-12, while the four of Dickison, Gardiner, Jones and Tomsett fell 7-25 to the Jimmy Pugh-skipped Nelson combination.

But the Bay side came unstuck to the rampaging Wellington Lions in the semi-finals, with Ouellet losing to Ray Martin 17-25; and Anderson and Arlidge going down to Robbie Bird, who also gained his Silver Star, and Finbar McGuigan 10-18.

The Bay four shook hands with the Wellington quartet of Blake Signal, Ben King, Euan Wong and Steve Ditfort ahead 8-5.

Ouellet had six wins for the tournament, the fours five, and the pair 4 wins and a draw. A commendable effort.

Article added: Monday 17 March 2025