JACK'S CORNER - Champions to battle for top spot

With Garry Houlahan
* Triples is weekend high
Coming up to the end of the season and most bowlers will be concentrating their attention on the Champion of Champion Triples this weekend. Draws: Men at Bowls Whangarei: Mamaranui v Te Kopuru, Onerahi v Mangawhai, Kensington v Ngunguru, One Tree Point v Whangarei, Whangarei R.S.A. v Arapohue, Waipu v Maungatapere, Kamo v Hikurangi, Maungakaramea v Ruawai, Dargaville v Maungaturoto. Women at Kamo Womens: Hakaru v Kensington, Maungatapere v Whangarei R.S.A., Kamo v Te Kopuru, Onerahi v Waipu, Arapohue v Hikurangi, Dargaville v Whangarei. Please note that their has been a change of venue for the womens event on Saturday and it will now be played at Kamo Womens Bowling Club. Play for both men and women will be at Bowls Whangarei on Sunday. Also note that the starting time will be 8.30am. Now that daylight saving has passed is necessary to start earlier to get four rounds in before darkness descends upon us.
* It's a change of venue
There has also been a change of venue for the Champion of Champion Pairs which is to be played on May 3/4. The women will play at Kamo Womens greens and the men at Kamo mens green. Once again play will commence at 8.30am to enable completion in daylight. Draw next week.
* Winning line up
Last weekend the major tournament in Whangarei was the Maggie Dixon sponsored Mixed Classic Fours run by the Kensington Womens Club. A good field of 24 teams lined up and winners were Denis Snelling, Joe Thorburn, Barbara Snelling and Murray Rowsell while the runners up were Pat Warth, Bob Warth, Peter Nicholas and Nancy Jujnovich and in third spot were Steve Smith, Eric Pattillo, Patricia Murray and Jude Ganley.
* Team success
Over at Dargaville the Tom Ker sponsored mens triples took place and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all who played. The only four winner on the day was a composite team consisting Cedric Campbell, Graeme Lawrence and Geoff Trappitt. Second spot also went to a composite team of Paul Wightman, Kevin Robinson and Adam Booth with a Bowls Whangarei team of Laurie Reader, Fred Kirk and Garry Houlahan in third.
* Rakich out of luck
No luck for Dargaville's Alan Rakich at the national finals of the New Zealand Community Trust singles finals at Rotorua last week. As expected the competition was extremely tough and although Alan played well and had some close results he did not get the wins needed and ended up in fifth position. A very good effort to get down to the last six in New Zealand however.
* Composite side pays off
Jerry Litt is well known as a Maungakaramea man but for a number of years he has sponsored the Tex OHagen tournament at Whangarei RSA. This years event was played last Sunday and the winners were a composite side of John Jamieson and Rex Hamlin from Bowls Whangarei and Warren and Brian Taylor from Whangarei RSA. In second position was another composite team comprising Eddie Horgan, Paul Graham and John Cole from Bowls Whangarei and Alan Forrester from Whangarei RSA. As would be expected with any tournament run by Jerry, everybody had a whale of a time.