Bowls: Belliss still has chance of retaining title

Defending champion Peter Belliss notched up a narrow win to reach the quarter-finals in the fours at the national championships in Wellington yesterday.

Belliss, Kevin Robinson, Steve Posa and Justin Goodwin accounted for the formidable combination of Richard Girvan, Ali Forsyth, Sean O'Neill and Andrew Todd 15-12 to progress to today's quarter-finals.

There they will meet Hong Kong Classic pairs champion Andrew Kelly's quartet. Kelly, Lance Pascoe, Nick Buttar and Dave Good accounted for the Gary Lawson-skipped team of Ryan Bester, Danny Delany and Kelvin Scott 18-13 in the second round of post section.

They went on to beat the Invercargill team skipped by Paul McKinell 18-6 to make the last eight.

Auckland young guns Gregory Ruaporo, Scott Cottrell, Sione Manuolevao and Ciaran MacElvanna also made the quarter-finals Jimmy Pugh and his Stoke team of David Eades, Bob Foster and Ron Robb 19-11.

In the women's section, Sue Burnand and her team of Mandy and Angela Boyd with Leanne Curry had their title hopes slashed by United's Barbara McGregor, Val Smith, Dianne Potts and Dale Bourke 16-15.

McGregor was trailing 15-9 with two ends to play, but successfully pulled off an impressive escape in picking up a four and a three to advance to the semifinal, where she meets Johnsonville's Paula Meredith.

The other semifinal will see Beckenham's Verna Veint, New Zealand representative Adele Greenfield, Maureen Doherty and Margaret Bruhns play Gale Fache, Nellie Hewson, Faye George and Loralie Hawkes.

- NZPA