Matthew Foster (right) and Andrew Rickard went blow for blow in the Poverty Bay East Coast indoor bowls centre Open Singles final - Foster winning 8-7.
Matthew Foster (right) and Andrew Rickard went blow for blow in the Poverty Bay East Coast indoor bowls centre Open Singles final - Foster winning 8-7.
Matthew Foster has taken no time to find top form early in the Poverty Bay East Coast indoor bowls season.
The 21-year-old defeated younger brother Dylan 9-4 in the final of the Southpac Trucks PBEC Men’s Singles, then backed that up by pipping Andrew Rickard 8-7 in the centre Open Singles.
North Island representative Matthew moved to Dunedin last year and represented Otago in the 2024 season, but is back in Gisborne and ready to play for PBEC in 2025.
In the Men’s Singles final, the Foster brothers couldn’t be separated after four of the nine ends.
Brothers Matthew (left) and Dylan Foster battled it out for the Poverty Bay East Coast indoor bowls centre Men's Singles title - Matthew winning the final 9-4.
But from 3-all, big brother took control, picking up four unanswered points over the next three ends for a 7-3 lead, which all but sealed the title.
The Open Singles final was a much tighter tussle. Foster and Rickard were locked 2-2 after three of the nine ends, 4-4 after five ends and 7-7 going into the last end.
Rickard held shot, but Foster played a great bowl to take it off him.
Rickard’s last bowl just missed grabbing shot and he had to settle for runner-up honours for the second year in a row after winning the title in 2023.
The two singles honours made it 17 centre titles for Foster.
Kayla Trowell (right) had to dig deep to beat Tina Smith in the final of the Poverty Bay East Coast indoor bowls centre Ladies' Singles.
Extra end decides Ladies’ Singles
Teenager Kayla Trowell racked up the 11th Poverty Bay East Coast centre title of her rising career with victory in the Southpac Trucks Ladies’ Singles.
The 17-year-old needed an extra end to defeat Tina Smith 7-6.
Trowell, the reigning New Zealand Junior Singles champion, led 5-2 after five ends of the nine-end final.
But Smith fought back with some great draw bowls to pick up four points to Trowell’s one over the next four ends to tie it 6-6.
Smith held shot in the deciding end only for Trowell to calmly play her last bowl, pick up the kitty for the shot and win her first Ladies’ Singles crown.
Smith has only just started playing the game at the higher level, so proved she is one to watch.
