Eighteen teams contested the men’s event. After four games of section play on Saturday at Kahutia, the eight teams who qualified were seeded according to their results in section play.
Top qualifiers were Williams and Walker. Second were Mal Trowell and Robin Jefferson (Gisborne), third were Marshall and Maunder, fourth were Gisborne’s Steve Goldsbury and Don Oates, fifth were Tolaga Bay’s Murray Duncan and Ben Elkington, sixth were Gisborne’s Bob McIlroy and Charlie Ure, seventh were Poverty Bay’s Glen Henry and Andrew Ball, and eighth were Poverty Bay’s Lex Kennedy and Jeff Davis.
In the quarterfinals, Williams beat Kennedy 19-11, Trowell defeated Henry 23-2, Marshall just got home 15-14 against McIlroy and Goldsbury beat Duncan 19-18.
In the semifinals, Marshall defeated Goldsbury 18-13 and Williams beat Trowell 18-12.
The final was a tense affair in the early stages as players coped with strong blustery winds.
Marshall and Maunder gradually gained the ascendancy for the 18-12 scoreline against Williams and Walker, who should also be pleased with their performances over the weekend. They showed they both still have the ability to match the centre’s top bowlers.
Fifteen teams took part in the women’s pairs section play at the Gisborne Bowling Club on Saturday.
After the completion of four rounds, Poverty Bay’s Betty Herring and Val McGreevy were unbeaten and top qualifiers, followed by Takurua and Mills in second place, Poverty Bay’s Jan Powell third, Gisborne’s Bobbie Beattie and Tanya Harrison fourth, Gisborne’s Lyn Trueman and Lesley McIntosh fifth, Kahutia’s Glenys Whiteman and Marie Wright sixth, Poverty Bay’s Diane Christie and Ngawai Turipa seventh, and Gisborne’s Karen Higgins and Kym Brown eighth.
Saturday’s form went out the window in the quarterfinals, when Higgins and Brown beat top qualifiers Herring and McGreevy 17-8 in the strong winds, which made things difficult for the players.
In the other games, Takurua defeated Christie 24-6, Beattie beat Trueman 24-16 and Whiteman beat Powell 23-10.
The semifinals were relatively one-sided with Takurua getting home 18-8 against Higgins and Whiteman having a 19-7 win against Beattie.
The final was expected to be close but Takurua and Mills gained an early lead and steadily increased their advantage over Whiteman and Wright to finish 19-6 winners.
The victory was a welcome tonic for Takurua who has been an admirable servant of women’s and Maori bowls in the Gisborne East Coast Centre for decades.
This was the first time either player had won the centre pairs trophy.
This victory also gave Mills her third centre title for the season. She had earlier won the mixed pairs and women’s fours.
The consolation event was won by Bruce Ball and Bruce Elliott, with Joe Wimutu and Ray Young runners-up.
