Monaghan chalks up 50

PLENTY TO SMILE ABOUT: Ian Monaghan of Masterton has won 50 centre titles, a first for the Wairarapa region.

It was mission accomplished when Ian Monaghan combined with his Masterton clubmate Scott MacKenzie to win the Bowls Wairarapa champion of champions men's pairs title on his home greens last weekend.

His victory meant Monaghan, 54, had achieved a personal objective of winning five centre titles in the one season but, much more than that, it also took his overall number to the magic 50, a first for the Wairarapa region and seldom managed anywhere else in the country.

Up against Monaghan and MacKenzie in the final were Greytown's Dave Murray and Dave McIntyre. Monaghan was up 7-1 early but Murray bounced back to lead 12-7. By his own admission a "lucky break or two" helped the Masterton pair to make up the lost ground and they went on to win 24-17.

"It was a good old battle," Monaghan said.

Monaghan's earlier centre titles in 2013-14 came in Bowls Wairarapa's open singles, pairs, triples and fours, and MacKenzie has been part of all of them except the open singles, where he just happened to be the runner-up.

Only once before has Monaghan won five centre events in the one season, back in 1996-97 when he was the regular playing partner of the late John Stroud.

Their latest success continued a superb run of form for Monaghan and MacKenzie in pairs play, as just a couple of weeks previously they had headed off opposition from Manawatu, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne-East Coast to win the zone play-offs in Napier, a victory which will see them contest the national finals in Dunedin on June 23 and 24.

Three other champion of champions titles were finalised last weekend. In the women's pairs, Avis Cooper and Elwyn Flannery of Eketahuna beat Tina Hogg and Shirley Poutu (Featherston) 21-10 in the final, in the men's singles Warren Fisher (Masterton) scored a 21-7 win over Peter McGillicuddy (Martinborough) in the decider, while the final of the women's singles produced a 21-18 win for Gail Hemi (Greytown) over Makaia Campbell (Eketahuna).