May 24 2010

Well done Ray & Rich!

By RichardC

Congratulations to Raymond Martin and Richard Corry for winning the Wellington Catholic Open Pairs indoor bowls event for the third time in 5 years. The Victoria pair beat 2009 Hutt Valley Paterson Trophy squad members Trish Cherry and Marcus Trlin in the final after surviving a see-saw battle against another Paterson Trophy player from last year, Murray Larkin and his wife Colleen in the semifinal.

Raymond and Richard were also runner-up in the Hutt Valley Mixed Fours on Saturday including a win over Joseph Zino’s eventual winning team.

Categories: Competitions, Wellington Centre
May 11 2010

Club indoor singles champs – 30th May

By RichardC

The Victoria club singles champs for indoor bowls will be on the afternoon of Sunday 30th May. Dust off those old skills and take on the current hot shots. Names in by 12.45 for a 1pm kick-off. There will be three games to qualify for the knockout rounds.

The winner will represent Victoria in the Hutt Valley champ-of-champ singles on July 24th. The winner of that competition then goes on to the New Zealand Henselite singles in Ash-vegas (last year’s Hutt Valley champ won the NZ title!).

Categories: Competitions, Singles
May 03 2010

Kirsten Griffin & Jo Edwards 2010 Victoria Invitation Champions!

By RichardC

Well done to Victoria’s own Kirsten Griffin and Canterbury’s Jo Edwards who walked away with the 2010 Victoria Women’s Invitation Pairs on Sunday with a convincing win in the final. The winner’s cheques of $1000 each were handed over after Helen King (Wilton) and Karen Coombe (Wanganui) conceded with two ends to play at a score of 20-3. Griffin and Edwards were very impressive throughout the weekend with seven straight wins over the two days. King and Coombe had also looked impressive dominating their section to make the final but were unable to stay with the pace losing the title they won last year.

Serena Mathews and Vicki Sheard from Canterbury and the Wellington combination of Lui Hare (Johnsonville) and Jo Climo (Titahi Bay) shared third place.

The inaugural 1-7 Year Invitation Pairs were won by Victoria’s Rhys Hakkens and Jamie Coleman beating the Naenae combination of Adrian O’Brien and Rav Maharaj 14-5 pulling away after an initial tight tussle where the scores had been locked at 5-5 after 5 ends.

Hats off to everyone involved in running the weekend, gathering the teams to make up the two fields, catering, green-keeping, recording, umpiring, controlling the tournament, barmen, raffles, transport and hosting visitors. A great event enjoyed by all!

Categories: Competitions, Pairs
May 01 2010

Big names through to 2nd day at Victoria Invitational

By RichardC

Some big names are through to the top division for Sunday’s play in the 4th running of the $4600 Victoria Women’s Invitation Pairs. Last year’s champions Helen King (Wilton) and Karen Coombe (Wanganui) were assured of qualification after their first two matches along with fellow two-winners Serena Mathews and Vicki Sheard of Canterbury in Section 2.

Tough competition is likely to come from Section 1 winners Kirsten Griffin (Victoria) and Jo Edwards (Canterbury). Kirsten was part of the history-making New Zealand under-18 team that beat Australia for the first time in March, while Jo flew straight from the Warilla club in Australia where she retained her World Cup singles title on Friday. Canterbury pairing of Val Symes and Sherrie Cottle came through as section runners-up.

Sections 3 and 4 weren’t so clear cut with qualifiers not found till the final ends were played. 2008 tournament winner Hayley May (Victoria) and dual indoor-outdoor international Dale Lang (Tawa) won section 3 despite losing their opening match. Both 3rd round matches came down to the last end with neither spot filled when the bell rang to finish the end they were on. Victoria’s Leigh Griffin and Mandy Boyd remained unbeaten for the day clutching their 2nd draw which sent the Mina Paul (Rotorua)/Karen Hema (Auckland) pair to the lower half of the field for Sunday.

Clare McCaul (Silverstream) and Patricia Wishnowsky (Petone Central) also held on for a last-game draw in section 4 which made the difference between winning the group and not qualifying dooming Nelson’s Marie Watson and Jo Collis to Division 2 for Sunday. Lui Hare (Johnsonville) and Jo Climo (Titahi Bay) were the other team to make it through with two wins.

Victoria and Island Bay players dominated the qualifying rounds in the inaugural $1500 Victoria 1-7 Year Junior Invitation Pairs with some form young players from other parts of Wellington dipping out of making the top section for Sunday. The field includes some class acts such as New Zealand under-25 rep Ryan Khan from Waikato, and Victoria’s own Jamie Coleman who won the Wellington Development Pairs in January.

Draw for Sunday 8.30am at Victoria:

4th Women’s Invitation Pairs – Group A
Kirsten Griffin (Victoria) & Jo Edwards (Canterbury); Leigh Griffin & Mandy Boyd (Victoria);
Serena Mathews & Vicki Sheard (Canterbury); Hayley May (Victoria) & Dale Lang (Tawa).

Group B
Helen King (Wilton) & Karen Coombe (Wanganui); Clare McCaul (Silverstream) & Pat Wishnowsky (Petone Central);
Val Symes & Sherrie Cottle (Canterbury); Lui Hare (Johnsonville) & Jo Climo (Titahi Bay)

1st 1-7 Year Junior Invitation Pairs – Group A
Aaron Love & Sarah Taukamo (Island Bay); Alastair Gibbons & Kris Gapes (Victoria);
John Hannaway & Ian Watt (Island Bay); Rhys Hakkens & Jamie Coleman (Victoria).

Group B
Tim Toomey (Victoria) & Ryan Khan (Waikato); Raj Sukha & Kenny Benfield (Island Bay);
Adrian O’Brien & Rav Maharaj (Naenae); Nicole Toomey & Donna Lawrence (Victoria)

Categories: Competitions, Pairs