Bowls: Jorgensen four on a roll at nationals

High fives and hugs were part of the winning plan as Patsy Jorgensen's four kept rolling through the national women's championships in Tauranga yesterday.

Jorgensen is into today's fours semifinal at the tournament's Matua headquarters after two lop-sided wins yesterday - 25-8 against Ellie Goble, of Lepperton, and 25-8 over Hawera Park's Lola Bigham.

Clearly enjoying their winning trot in the fours, Jorgensen's team come up against Adrienne Lambert, of Tauranga South, in the bottom section semifinal today.

Lambert downed Paulette Mytton, of Browns Bay, 20-12 in their last 16 clash, before a three-hour marathon in their afternoon quarter-final, eventually getting past the dogged Mary Cleland, of West End, 24-12.

Jorgensen and Lambert are Tauranga South clubmates, with the pair clashing in the club's singles championship last year. They are also Bay of Plenty team-mates in the centre's representative four.

Lambert is also a former national women's manager who had Jorgensen in her team.

Jorgensen, who moved north to Maketu, near Te Puke, nine months ago from Napier, is the only one from her four from Tauranga South. She has been joined at the championships by Andersons Bay (Dunedin) trio Winnie McLelland, Daphne Hynes and Fay Cosgrove.

Jorgensen, who won bronze in the fours for New Zealand at last year's Commonwealth Games in Manchester, teamed with McLelland and Hynes at last year's nationals in Dunedin.

"They were coming back up and, being new to the Tauranga area, I didn't know too many people so we linked up again," Jorgensen said.

She was confident the team could keep winning today.

"You've got to be compatible otherwise it's never going to happen in fours.

"If this team keeps playing like it has been playing and getting the bowls on the head, we can keep producing," she said.

In the other semifinal, Henderson's Corry Middleburg is taking on Annette Bell, of Matamata.

Middleburg disposed of Wanganui's Anne Loveridge 25-19 before beating Pat Stevens, of Mt Maunganui, 25-8.

Bell beat Colleen Griffith, of Frankton Rail, 29-12, followed by a 23-20 cliffhanger quarter-final victory over Waipukurau's Ramoana Pharazyn.

- NZPA