Lawn Bowls
Friday, Jan 19 2024
Grant Hassall
Bowls can be a great game and a cruel game. Just ask Tauranga’s Dan Dickison.
The accomplished player experienced the best of the Midlands Funds Management Taranaki men’s Open fours when he won the event in 2021.
But yesterday his more than useful team felt the despair of defeat when they missed qualification by the narrowest of margins. They entered the day with four wins and a one -point loss. In their first attempt to gain win No 5, Dickison led fellow four-winner Gerry O’Sullivan (Inglewood) 23-20 playing the last end.
But the Inglewood boys plonked them around the jack to snatch a four and a one point win.
In the afternoon, playing another four-winner, Colin Boyle (Carlton Cornwall), Dickison’s side went to an extra end.
There Boyle rolled up one of his own team’s bowls to take the match 19-18. There was plenty of heartbreak elsewhere, too, with just 52 team qualifying.
Rewa’s Dave McNeal needed his last match to also qualify. Playing Barrie Johnstone (Katikati), who had lost the lot until then, McNeal’s team toiled valiantly.
But Johnstone had one of those games where whatever he did, he got a result, denying McNeal 19-17.
Pt Chevalier’s John Petelo, needing his last game, surged ahead 23-17 after 20 ends against Takapuna’s Simon Poppleton.
But Poppleton, despite losing his qualifying chances in the morning, battled on, forcing and then winning the extra end to eliminate Petelo.
The 2005 champion, Ray Park (Wanganui), won twice to advance. He looked safe leading Gavin Crow (Vogeltown) 23-9 after 17 ends.
Crow then produced eight unanswered points, before a four sealed Park’s 27-17 victory. Dan Delany (Royal Oak) needed the full quota of rounds to qualify, after his side was belted 22-6 by Phill Chisholm (Mairangi Bay) in the morning.
That forced Delany into a must-win seventh round against six-winner Peter Nixon (Sunshine Coast).
Delany appeared to be cruising after 16 ends, with a 19-7 lead. But then Nixon commenced his run, levelling the scores and forcing an extra end.
But Delany took a two to qualify 22-20. After only one win from the first two days, Mike Oldfield (Tauranga South) completed the transformation, winning the next four to qualify.
The last effort was a good one, 21-14 over Graeme Fulford (Havelock North).
Maurice Symes (Fitzroy) had a similar story, winning five in succession after he lost the opening two games.
The 77-year-old former New Zealand rep remains a determined competitor. Section three became the group of death, with just two teams surviving — Mike Reddy (Kaitaia) and Anton Ferrari (Naenae).
In the morning’s feature game, Reddy took the safest path by beating Ferrari 26-21.
Heading into the last round, five teams sat on four wins.
Only Ferrari managed to win, beating fellow four-winner Bob Shorter (Darfield) 25-20.
Eric Foreman (Fitzroy) and David Ball (Carlton Cornwall) both fell one point short and Steve Cottam (Paritutu) was just four shots adrift of Reddy at the end.
Even though the qualification criteria this year was reduced by one game, due to Monday’s rain, the elation and frustration remain just as pronounced.
Draws for Friday Play in the Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours
Men’s Open Fours Post Section Draw All teams start at 9.00am
Men’s Open Fours Pairs Draw All pairs start at 8.45am
Good luck to everyone involved.
Wednesday, Jan 17 2024 – Grant Hassall
Grant Hassall
While there was uniform delight at the clear skies the appeared so impressively on the second’s play in the 119th Midlands Funds Management Taranaki men’s Open fours yesterday, by early afternoon there were many wishing the overcast conditions from Monday would return.
The heat certainly took its toll and those not keeping up with the liquid intake found concentration much more difficult.
As expected, there was a wide cross section of results, with many guns surging ahead and others faltering.
Overnight the analysis is that of the 166 teams taking part, 29 have won the lot so far, 52 sides sit on two wins and 58 quartets have had just one victory. That means that 27 teams are dreaming about the pairs or next season.
Two of the more prominent skips in the latter category are Peter Dorreen (Far North RSA) and Garry Petersen (Wanganui East). Both are successful gold star recipients in their home centres and have featured in past Opens. But such is the nature of the game and the event.
Among the visitors to enjoy the heat and the well-running Paritutu front green yesterday afternoon was Mt Albert’s Steve Ramsay.
Ramsay’s team, after a win on Monday, was not in the hunt in the morning’s round, being thumped 30-8 by Birkenhead’s Nigel Drew.
The Aucklanders were therefore looking down the barrel in the afternoon with a clash against Stokes Valley’s Caleb Hope. But Ramsay and co righted the ship to score an impressive and important 22-16 victory. Drew, following Monday’s narrower victory over Hawera Park’s Mark Dudley, made it two impressive wins for the day by later beating two-winner Robin Pierce (Katikati) 29-10.
Drew presents a well-balanced side with specialist front men Mark Rumble and Brian Wilson joined by rising prospect Daymon Pierson.
Hope’s side includes Robbie Bird, who in his relatively short time in the game has already tasted success in the 2021 NZ champion-of-champions singles and twice in the NZ intercentre.
They finished the day on two wins.
After a near perfect performance on Monday, win No 2 came 25-22 over Dudley in the morning, after the boys from the capital had led by one shot at the commencement of the 25th end.
Courtesy of the Taranaki Daily News by Glenn Mclean- https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350148388/former-taranaki-rugby-rep-rolling-taranaki-open-fours
Former Taranaki rugby rep Darryl Fale, who now lives in Papamoa, is making his debut at the Taranaki Open Fours bowls tournament.
VANESSA LAURIE / VANESSA LAURIE
It might be more than two decades since he donned the amber and black rugby jersey, but former Taranaki and Hurricanes loose forward Darryl Fale still cuts a recognisable figure on the sports field.
Fale has found his way back to his old province for this week’s Taranaki Open Fours bowls tournament where he’s making his maiden appearance.
Now living in Papamoa, where he works as b usiness development manager for Fidelity Life Assurance, Fale is representing the Mt Maunganui club in a team skipped by Bruce Currie.
Fale, who played the last of his 48 matches for Taranaki in 2000, is in just his second season of playing bowls.
“I’ve played in three or four tournaments for the club, but not a lot, really,” he said.
His attraction to bowls was simple.
“I hate golf,” he said. “So I had to play bowls, because the wife wanted me out of the house.”
Fale does not have to look too far for advice about the week, with his father, Glen, also playing in the tournament.
Things started well for Fale junior’s team on the opening day with a comfortable 34-11 win over John Kearns’ side from Omarunui.
However, things got tougher under the blazing sun at the Vogeltown club on Tuesday morning, with Fale’s team going down narrowly, 23-22, to Laurie Guy’s Victoria side.
By the end of play on Tuesday, three of the now-scheduled seven section play matches were due to be completed.
Shade was at a premium on the second day of the Taranaki Open Fours bowls tournament.
VANESSA LAURIE / VANESSA LAURIE
After two rounds, a number of sides had made the perfect start.
These included big names like Gary Lawson (Elmwood Park) and Blake Signal (Stokes Valley).
Signal only just won through in the morning, edging Maurice Symes (Fitzroy) 22-21.
Peter Belliss (Aramoho) was also unbeaten. His side narrowly sneaked past Paul Darbyshire (West End) 21-18.
Another cliffhanger, between two of the favoured local teams, saw Craig De Faria (West End) get the nod 27-25 over Scott Roberts (Tower).
Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News – https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350148388/former-taranaki-rugby-rep-rolling-taranaki-open-fours