The Tauranga four of Dan Dickison, Alvin Gardiner, Graham Skellern and Ben Thurston put in a solid effort to finish third equal at the national champion of champions final in the Dunedin Indoor Stadium.

The Dickison-skipped team fell frustratingly in the semi-final to multi-national titleholder Gary Lawson, with the match still alive on the final 15^th end.

Lawson’s Elmwood Park side of Nathan Glasson, Liam Eathorne and Ricky Cook led 8-2 after six ends but Dickison picked up a five on the next end to get right back in the game.

Lawson edged ahead 12-10 and 14-12 but Dickison closed the gap at 14-13 after 13 ends. Ahead by two on the final end, Lawson’s team ran out the shot bowl and finished with a single to win 16-13.

It was a similar scoreline in the final but this time it was the Taieri team of Mike Kernaghan, Andy McLean, Geoff Griffiths and Grant McLean taking aways the spoils against Lawson.

Dickison’s team lost their second qualifying match against Kaikoura’s Mike Mansfield, Greg Debenham, Craig Smith and Leroy Waihirere 14-18, but were in control of the other three games.

The experienced Tauranga bowlers beat Milton’s Brian Cowie, Graeme Hill, Graeme Thompson and Allan Philip 14-8; Awamoa’s Bill Jenson, Bill Kingan, Bob Kingan and Dion Murphy 22-14; and Raumati’s Graeme Corlett, Reg Goston, Neil Prichard and Laurie Flynn 14-9.

They ran away from Winton RSA’s Wayne Stewart, Gary Wilson, Barry Stewart and Warren Petterson 16-5 in the quarter-finals.

The Ngongotaha four of PK Tamehana, Kath Nepe, Sue Wells and Lillie McGregor ran out of puff in their qualifying campaign.

They set themselves up for post-section play by winning their first two games – 26-7 against Thames Coast’s Mary King, Carole Pellet, Ruth Gera and Molly Galloway; and 16-5 over an accomplished New Plymouth side of Elaine Hodge, Marg Carey, Anne Brophy and Val McEldowney. 

The next morning Ngongotaha lost to Balclutha’s Christine King, Carolyne Stephens, Trish Thomson and Pat Teraki 7-19 and Pukekohe’s Yvonne Urwin, Ann McLean, Sheryl Nasey and Sheryl Brownlee 15-17 in a heart-stopper.

Incredibly, Ngongotaha raced to a 13-0 lead after six ends with three twos, two threes and a single, and gave most of it back over the next four ends when Pukekohe picked up three twos and a three to trail 9-13.

Tamehana’s side still led 15-9 after 11 ends but gave up a three, two twos and a single over the four closing ends.

In the women’s final, Nelson’s Jo Edwards, Val Smith, Kay Hammond and Di Holland held on to slender leads and beat Elmwood Park’s Mandy Boyd, Bev Morel, Christine Buchanan and Tania Woodham 13-10. Edwards and Smith both collected their 15^th Silver Star. 

Tauranga’s Sue Hodges and Dan Dickison bowed out of the champion of champions singles in the qualifying stage at Auckland.

The defending champion, Hodges lost to New Zealand international Leanne Poulson (Papakura) 11-21 in her first game. She then had convincing wins over Wairoa’s Joanne Wroe 21-7 and Picton’s Alia Waters 21-10.

But Hodges came up against a dogged national squad member Clare Hendra (Silverstream) and lost 18-21. Hodges had leads of 8-4, 12-9 and 17-15 but Hendra drew ahead 19-17 and held on with two singles. 

Dickison started his campaign with a flourish, beating well-performed Shaun Scott (Bannockburn) 21-20. But he lost to in-form Gavin Hamlyn (Carrington Masterton) 21-12 before remaining in contention after beating Kahutia’s July Hoepo 21-18.

In his crucial fourth game, Dickison fell behind 0-11 after ends against Himatangi’s Warwick Frederikson and never recovered, eventually lost 21-6.

Article added: Tuesday 05 August 2025