Bowls: Brothers set to take on best

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Major bowls events are often dominated by the big names, but four brothers from the Blaketown club on the West Coast are ready to show that reputations count for little.

After seeing off the big boys from Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough, brothers Trevor, Lance, Shane and Gary Pascoe, with clubmates Mike Jacobs, Jim Campbell and Scott Negri, are prepared to trade shots with the best.

Blaketown are one of six clubs who will be on the greens at the Palmerston North club this morning at the start of the Lion Foundation interclub championship.

The strong Johnsonville team, spearheaded by Rob Ashton, who will play singles, will start favourites, but they can expect tough opposition from Dunedin's Fairfield and, of course, Blaketown.

A new champion will be found in the men's interclub after titleholders Avondale failed to progress, but Matamata are back to defend their women's title.

Doreen Schumacher will play singles, Millie Khan will skip the pair with daughter Marina as lead, and Annette Bell will skip the four, who have Ada Steverson at three, Norma Downey (two) and June Crow (lead).

The pairs promise the best action. The Khans face tough opposition from Northern, who have national singles champion Sharon Sims as skip for Shirley Ryan, and from Nelson's United club, who have Commonwealth Games-bound Jo Edwards (skip) and Val Smith to carry their hopes. Marie Watson will play singles for United.

The two-day interclub championship will be followed by the intercentre finals at the weekend.

The Khans are not in the Waikato side, but Millie's other daughter, Jan, will play singles for Canterbury.

The men's singles promise a battle royal. Mike Kernaghan (Dunedin), Andrew Curtain (Canterbury), Sean Johnson (Wanganui), Adam Newman (Wellington), Steve Posa (Waikato) and Graham Skellern (Bay of Plenty) complete a high-class field.

In an unusual switch, former international Gary Lawson will lead for Stephen Ditfort in the Canterbury pair.