Bowls: 'Gone fishing' sign for Brassey in singles

By GRAHAM SKELLERN

Aucklander Rowan Brassey, a favourite whenever he steps on to the bowling green, is leaving the challenge for the singles title at the national men's championships in Tauranga to others.

Brassey, the 10th-ranked singles player in the world, would, surprisingly, rather go fishing than contest tomorrow's singles qualifying in the Tower-sponsored tournament.

"The singles doesn't really interest me. I've played enough of them and won enough tournaments," said Brassey, who has collected five national titles, but never the singles. "I'll have a relaxing day fishing before we get into it."

Brassey, who nowadays chases the big-money tournaments overseas, is more interested in contesting the pairs and fours at the national tournament, playing with his Avondale clubmates Ross Haresnape and father-and-son Neville and Jamie Hill.

The nationals will be valuable practice for Brassey, who flies to Britain on January 14 for the world indoor singles and pairs. Seeded 10th equal in the singles, he has drawn a bye in the first round and will play the winner of the game between Adrian Walsh of Guernsey and former champion Richard Corsie of Scotland.

Brassey and his Australian partner, Mark McMahon, are seeded fifth in the pairs and they meet Englishmen David Holt and David Lockhart in the first round.

But before that, Brassey and Haresnape will have to be fully attentive for Wednesday's pairs qualifying at Whakatane. They have three potentially tricky encounters - against experienced Waikato representatives Kevin Robinson and Neville Risbridge, then two North Harbour Academy players, David Eades and Bart Robertson, and Hamilton's Brian Burton and Bede McLoughlin will not lie down in their final qualifying match.

There could be some heavy casaulties in the singles qualifying. Bay of Plenty's representative singles player Lance Tasker, who won the pairs with Peter Belliss in 1995, meets two internationals and former national champions, Peter Shaw and Russell Meyer, on the Omanu green at Mt Maunganui.

Another strong Bay of Plenty player, Clive Phillips, has drawn three centre representatives at Rotorua West: Clive Major of Auckland, then Brian Gibson of Southland and Brian Schischka of Wairarapa.

The 1993 singles champion, Ivan Kostanich, still full of life at the age of 78, plays Risbridge, then another gritty Waikato player in Kevin Boothby, who reached the last 16 last season, and another bowling legend, Dave Baldwin, of New Plymouth, at the Tauranga Domain.

There is a "section of death" at Omokoroa. Former fours winner Nick Grgicevich, of Hillsboro, talented Wellington youngster Cory Carroll, defending fours champion Nick Krajancic, of Carlton, North Harbour's Gary Muriwai and Nick Separovich and Counties Manukau's Richard Collett play one another.

Te Puke is the place to be tomorrow. The action continues on the second green after national trialist Rob Ashton, of Wellington, was handed a tough draw against Waikato Academy player Murray Glassey, and North Harbour's Barry Greer, a former fours winner, and Kerry Chapman, who earlier this month won the New Zealand Superbowls title and is one of the tournament favourites.

Chapman, teaming with Kostanich in the pairs and Pat and Wayne Robertson in the fours,is joining Brassey in the world indoor singles in England and has drawn South African No 1 Neil Birkett in the first round.

The post-section knockout play in the national singles takes place on Thursday and Saturday, the pairs on Friday and Sunday, and the finals will be staged at the headquarters Matua green next Monday.