On the mats - indoor bowls news

PRESIDENTS CUP WINNERS: Poverty Bay-East Coast beat Hawke’s Bay — in Hawke’s Bay — to win the Presidents Cup. Team members are, back (from left): Arnold Hutchins, Nanette Treloar, Warren Edlin (manager/reserve), Nathan Trowell, Bruce Easton, Akuhata Keelan, Bryan Pulley, Ian Greeks, Lois Lamont, Warren Gibb and Pauline Stone. Front: Sian Williams, Hina Preddey, Dylan Foster, Matthew Foster, Jay Casey and Malcolm Trowell. Picture by Mike Foster

Poverty Bay-East Coast beat Hawke’s Bay 84 points to 76 at indoor bowls to win the Presidents Trophy in Hawke’s Bay last weekend.

In the fours, Poverty Bay got off to the best of starts, winning three games out of four to go into a 12-4 lead.

Poverty Bay struggled in their pairs combinations in Round 2, losing five games out of eight, and their lead was cut to 21-19.

In the third round — singles — most of the skips and threes failed to fire and Poverty Bay lost six games from eight. However, the leads and twos stepped up to win six games from eight to keep Poverty Bay in front, 37-35.

In Round 4 — fours — the wins were shared 2-2 and the score was 45-43.

Poverty Bay then came right in the next pairs round, winning five games from eight to go 60-52 ahead.

They followed that up in the singles with an impressive 10 wins from 16 to take the score to 80-64.

In the last round of fours, Hawke’s Bay needed to win all four games, but Poverty Bay took one of the games to win the trophy with a score of 84-76.

The event started in 1985 when Hawke’s Bay president Gorden West and Poverty Bay-East Coast president Noel Jones got together and established the Presidents Trophy for competition between the two centres, with the aim of enhancing friendly relations.

Last weekend’s win was especially noteworthy as it was only the second time Poverty Bay-East Coast had won the trophy when playing in Hawke’s Bay; the first time was in 2007.

Fifteen-year-old Matthew Foster was the player of the day, with six wins from seven games. His younger brother Dylan won five games, as did their cousin Nathan Trowell. Jay Casey and Warren Gibb also recorded five wins.

Young guns Hina Preddey and Akuhata Keelan won four games, as did Bruce Easton and Lois Lamont.

Nanette Treloar, Pauline Stone and Ian Greeks won three games, Arnold Hutchins, Bryan Pulley and Malcolm Trowell all won two, and Sian Williams recorded one win.

Tomorrow the men’s and women’s centre singles will be contested at the Waerenga a Hika Sports Hall from 9am. All are welcome to watch some top bowls.