The difficult conditions on Saturday had a huge effect on the qualifying teams for the Centre Open Championship Triples, with last year's winners of the men's event missing out on qualifying. Pooled water caused a slight delay at the Whangarei greens and at Kamo the first round was played on the artificial turf before transferring to the grass. Check out the centre website for the pictures of improvisation of water puddle clean-up.
Eleven men's teams and seven women's teams went forward to post-section play on Sunday. It was a "monkey off their back" for the Hikurangi men after their numerous runner-up results last season. Sam Nelson, Steve Mitchell, and junior bowler Don Cameron won the event in grand style defeating Kevin Robinson, Wayne Wrack and Keith Youngman of Maungaturoto in the final by 22 points to 11.
In the semifinals, Hikurangi beat Whangarei, who were skipped by Dusty Reader, 23-13 and Maungaturoto beat Kensington, who were skipped by Gordon Bond, 20-14.
This was a sixth centre title for Nelson, third for Mitchell and first for Cameron.
In the women's division, close games were the order of the day with two Kensington teams skipped by Janice Mclean and Leaann Watson meeting in the final. It was six-all after six ends, and from then on it was point for point with the teams going into the last end at 14-all.
