Te Karaka club’s File delivers 84th centre title

Bowls Gisborne-East Coast centre men’s singles champion David File (right) with runner-up Malcolm Trowell. Picture supplied

by Ginny Sherriff

Former New Zealand international lawn bowler David File picked up his 84th centre title when he won the centre men’s singles at Gisborne Bowling Club.

Te Karaka club champion File beat Gisborne club champion Malcolm Trowel 21-18 in the final.

Trowell had come back from being 10-1 down to reduce the deficit to two points at 12-10, and fought hard all the way.

In the women’s singles, Gisborne’s Carol Hawes beat Kahutia champion Lucy Shanks 21-16. It was the first centre singles title for Hawes, who took up bowls in 1984.

For all bowlers, the ultimate challenge is to win the centre singles.

It means you have beaten the best of all the clubs in the Gisborne-East Coast Centre.

It’s the hardest and loneliest game of all, with four bowls to play and no one else to help or give advice and direction.

You know every opponent is going to be difficult.

So it was for the bowlers representing their various clubs on the manicured green at the Gisborne Bowling Club.

In the women’s division, Hawes represented the Gisborne club, Shanks, Kahutia, Kathryn Flaugere, Poverty Bay, and Glenda Kapene, Wairoa.

Shanks and Hawes played a close and thoroughly absorbing final with some spectacular bowls.

Hawes was relaxed and totally in the game. Even though she was up against a tough opponent, Hawes took out the final 21-16.

It was her first women’s centre singles title since she took up the sport in 1984.

In the men’s competition, Mark Walker represented Tolaga Bay, Alastair Macpherson, Kahutia, Gerry Kora, Poverty Bay, Trowell, Gisborne, File, Te Karaka, and Vern Withey, Wairoa.

Special mention must be made of Withey and Kapene, who do not have a bowling green in Wairoa to play on following the floods but still performed admirably.

Withey made the semis of the men’s event, losing to the eventual winner.

It was an interesting final between File and Trowell. Both players pulled off some seemingly impossible shots.

File began well, going out to a 10-1 lead before Trowell closed it to 12-10.

However, the mastery of File — once he got control of the mat in the latter stages — gave him the edge and the win, 21-18, for his 84th centre title.