Bowls: Hot bowls pays off for Curry

Dot Curry provided the sizzling bowls but she says daughter Leanne and close friend Sue Broadbent deserve some of the credit for her singles triumph at the national women's tournament in Wellington yesterday.

The 55-year-old Hamilton City bowler overcame sweltering heat and a rising star of New Zealand bowls in Palmerston North's Mary Campbell to win the singles final 21-17 at Wainuiomata.

In another high quality final, Orewa international Marlene Castle needed all her class and experience and a late surge from lead Paulette Mytton to capture the pairs title 20-13 over Nelson's Judy Heeman and Ronnie Crone.

Curry's victory was good for someone who had not intended playing at the championships.

Broadbent persuaded Curry to go to Wellington instead of taking a non-bowling holiday.

Curry will be back as a team leader at the Hamilton branch of the Inland Revenue Department a day late tomorrow after celebrating with Campbell.

Defending champion Millie Khan and former international Marie Watson were two of Curry's victims in her almost faultless week of bowls although she admitted she thought it might be another case of so close, yet so far.

"I'd finished third in my last four big tournaments but Leanne said 'don't worry, bigger things are coming your way'. All the games have been hard but I've just been lucky to be on form this week.

"I was never really worried too much at all," Curry said.

Campbell, who delivers off the wrong foot because of a long-standing hip injury, fought back from 4-13 down after 10 ends to draw level at 14-14 after 15 ends and was still in it at 17-18 down after 21 ends.

"I just couldn't find it (her line and length) at the start and it's always disappointing when you lose.

"I was a bit nervous I think but I'm still absolutely thrilled to get this far. Dot was very, very steady," Campbell said.

Meanwhile, Castle and Mytton, of Browns Bay, did not take the lead until the 16th end of the 18 end pairs final after Stoke's Crone had led superbly for Heeman, of Maitai.

But once up 14-13, Castle pounced when Crone, just a fourth year bowler, cruelly delivered a wrong bias on the penultimate end, drawing three shots a few blades of grass away from Mytton's first bowl toucher to open up a 18-13 lead and effectively end the contest.

It was a fourth national title for Castle, the reigning world indoor champion and New Zealand singles incumbent, after her champion of champions singles wins in 1993 and 1996 and fours triumph in 1999.

The win was Mytton's first and continued a remarkable family sporting story. Husband Alan, cheering her on at rinkside, was a former North Harbour bowls representative and the couple's son, Cliff, played 54 matches for North Harbour at second five-eighth before moving to France where he now plays his rugby for Stade de France and played against New Zealand A for the French Barbarians last year.

The tournament continues today with the first of three days of fours qualifying ahead of next Saturday's final.

- NZPA