Bowls: Elusive national title within reach for veteran Browns Bay pair

Colin Rogan (pictured) and John Walker are up for the national title.

Veteran Browns Bay bowlers John Walker and Colin Rogan have a chance to correct a notable omission from their otherwise impressive resumes.

Between them Walker and Rogan have more than 50 centre titles, but success at national level has always eluded them.

Today they have a chance to put that right, playing in front of skip Neil Fisher against a Far North composite line-up of David Hood, Cedric Campbell and Barry Allison at the New Zealand Open in Henderson.

Not that a Browns Bay win today is a foregone conclusion. Hood, from Kerikeri, and Campbell and Allison, from Kaitaia, made the final yesterday with a decisive 20-12 win over Dunedin's national development player, Mark Watt.

All three Northlanders are centre representatives and Hood, in particular, has an outstanding background. Originally from Taranaki, Hood has amassed 32 centres titles since moving north 28 years ago, while Allison made yesterday's singles semifinals.

Fisher, who has dual membership with the Browns Bay and Howick clubs, has already tasted national honours, winning the Open singles two seasons ago and was also singles runner-up in the nationals.

He has the chance of going one better in this season's Open after making tomorrow's singles final again, where he will meet Waikato's Tony Fabling.

In winning their triples semifinal yesterday, the Browns Bay side had to overcome a game challenge from Onehunga's Ricky Cosgrove, 22-year-old Ciaran MacElvanna and seasoned lead, Joe Whitelaw.

Today's men's pairs final will be between Wellington veteran Rob Ashton and his St Heliers lead Barclay Lee and South Islanders Alvin Gardiner and Pat Houlihan.

Aucklander Karen de Jongh, also a singles finalist, skipped Bev Crowe and Diane Hazelton to tomorrow's women's triples final against Margaret O'Connor's Central Otago line-up, by yesterday upsetting last year's champion Bay of Plenty side.