Bowls: Big day for big names in singles section play

Nearly all the big names made the three-win qualifying mark in singles section play at the men's national championships in Dunedin yesterday.

Most of the favourites among the 416 starters were safely past the post with three straight wins by late afternoon.

Defending champion Mike Kernaghan led a pack of talented players who will join him in the knockout phase starting tomorrow.

Stiff challenges will be expected from the likes of Rowan Brassey, already in the last 16 of the pairs and fours. Sean Johnson and Kerry Chapman also got through without scares. Like Kernaghan, they will be looking to catch the selectors' eyes.

The Commonwealth Games team for Manchester will be announced on Monday, finals day.

Tokoroa's Kevin Robinson, Philip Skoglund jun, Ian Meyer from the Northern club in Palmerston North and young Wellingtonians Sean Robertson and Adam Newman, also cruised into the post-section with three straight wins.

The biggest casualty from the early rounds was last year's champion, Petar Sain, who lost both his opening matches and was out of the competition by lunchtime.

Okahu Bay's Danny O'Connor and under-30 international Dwayne Cameron joined him in making an early exit.

Sid Giddy, Gary Lawson and 1998 champion Kelvin Scott made the draw, but did it the hard way. All suffered first-round reverses, but fought back through the day, qualifying with victories in round four.

Others with hiccups along the way included under-30 and development internationals Sean O'Neill from Kia Toa in Timaru, Christchurch-based Glenn McDonald, and 21-year-old Aucklander Jamie Hill, all of whom were taken to a fourth game.

O'Neill's club mate Leo Leonard, Wanganui's Ray Park, and home-town hero Ken Walker also needed a fourth game to go through.

Action reverts to the fours today, with the last 16 all in action at the Taieri headquarters.