BREAKING NEWS: The Te Puke trio were beaten in the near-neighbour playoff at Katikati by Coromandel's Colin Gawith, Lindsay Nichols and John Dickinson 1-9, 2-10. 

Adrienne Reid took a deep breath, refocused and drew right in front of the kitty with her last bowl to win the Bay Bowls 3Five with her Te Puke team-mates, husband Bill Reid and lead Jane Sylvia.

The Te Puke combination won an enthralling final against previous centre winners Nathan Arlidge, Steve Beel and Lorraine Rowling (Mount Maunganui) in the tie-breaker, after losing the first set 4-8 and taking the second set 8-1.

The Mount held the shot in the tie-break when skip Adrienne Reid stepped onto the mat. Her first draw shot was on line but short and she made a fine correction to make the winning play.

Arlidge just missed moving the shot bowl or the kitty with his last bowl, and Bill Reid and Sylvia celebrated their first centre titles, while Adrienne collected her fourth including two junior singles.

“I can’t believe it. I’m 77 next month and I’ve won my first centre title,” said Bill who started playing at the same time as his wife 11 years ago. Sylvia has been playing 17 years.

On her final bowl, Adrienne said: “I was just determined not to freeze. I often think I do that. I had the line and I added a bit more weight and it worked out. I must do this more often.”

Arlidge, Beel and Rowling used their power play to perfection in the first set, trailing 2-4 into the final end. They picked up three shots to double the score and take the set 8-4.

But the power play was also useful for the Reids and Sylvia. Ahead 2-1 in the second set, the Mount was in control of the third end until the kitty was squeezed to a counting Te Puke bowl.

Arlidge drove and clipped the kitty further right and Te Puke picked up two shots and a count of four to take a set-winning lead of 6-1, and then 8-1.

The Reids and Sylvia now play the Thames Valley champions in a regional play-off, and the winner qualifies for the national final in Auckland – won two years ago by Paul Anderson, Arlidge and Rowling.

The solid Te Puke trio beat Ohope’s Jack Berry, John Chelley and Katarina Stepec 3-2, 7-0 in four ends in the semi-final; and the Mount side beat Cliff Webber, Angela Stephen, Rachelle Morrison (Omokoroa) 6-2, 7-3 thanks to a power play count of four in the second set when the score was 3-all.

Quarter-final results were: Webber beat Ngongotaha’s Charlene Beckett, Drew Crowhust, Mina Paul (11-2, 3-6) in the tie-breaker; Reid beat Hopa Bell, PK Tamehana, Sue Crackett (Ngongotaha) 4-all, 9-7; Arlidge beat Janice Paap, Regg Martin, Ashley Snookes (Whakatane) 6-2, 4-3; Berry beat Terry Leadbetter, Andre Hudson, Keli Afelaio (Tauranga South) 7-3, 4-2.

Article added: Sunday 23 March 2025