Bowls: Clean sweep to NZ

With the outcome of the bowls test series against Ireland already decided, the New Zealand men's team set themselves new targets for the final test in Christchurch yesterday.

The team wanted wins in the singles, pairs and triples, and they went close to achieving their goal.

The pair and triple won, and singles player Kerry Chapman was centimetres away from beating world champion Jeremy Henry.

The pair triumphed 25-11, the triple won 21-7 and the four captured the final game of the series 20-17 to give New Zealand a 3-1 win in the third test.

The New Zealand women won by the same margin after also entering the final test with an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Chapman and Henry were tied at 20-20 in the race to 21 shots.

Henry left his second bowl on the last end caressing the jack. Chapman tried to run the jack into the ditch with his next three bowls and grab the shot, but he failed, the last time by only the width of a bowl.

It was an admirable performance by the Aucklander in his debut in the New Zealand five-man team.

But the performance of the week was from New Zealand's Marlene Castle.

She won all three of her singles against world champion Margaret Johnston and combined with Sharon Sims to clinch all three pairs.

Castle has now won her last five matches against Johnston and was unbeaten in six games in the three-match series.

She is in outstanding form to defend her world indoor singles title in Belfast next week.

The women's pairs won 28-9, the triples lost 16-21 and the fours won 25-14.

- NZPA