Hawera Park’s Sean Prinsloo and Nigel Berry have earned the title as the best junior pairs combination in Taranaki bowls.
On Monday, at the Stratford-Avon club, the duo took out the Bayleys Real Estate-sponsored Hugh Moss event. They defeated Paritutu’s Kevin Archer and Trevor Knowsley 15-12 in the final.
Prinsloo and Berry, who narrowly lost the 2019 final, rebounded from a 5-0 deficit against the Paritutu pair in the decider. But stringing together five successive ends, which included a four and a five, the Hawera Park duo opened up a 13-5 advantage after seven of the 14 ends.
Three ends later it was 15-8 and while the last four heads all went Paritutu’s way they were only singles, deservedly leaving the trophy with Prinsloo and Berry.
It was a brave effort from the Paritutu pair. Knowsley was a sentimental favourite of the competition, having worked extensively with Moss. Moss died in 1990 and is the only Taranaki man to have been president of the national body.
In the semifinals, Prinsloo and Berry beat Rahotu’s Camron Horo and Nathan Goodin 13-11, while Archer and Knowsley ousted West End’s Warren Wipatene and Nathan Nelson 15-13.