Bowls: Lawson's four roll home again

Gary Lawson brought the curtain down on the national bowls championships at Christchurch yesterday by skipping his four to victory at the Burnside greens.

Lawson and his beaten opponents, skipped by Richard Girvan, produced a quality contest before the former New Zealand international prevailed 23-12, ending the 15-day tournament in perfect conditions.

Girvan was forced into retrieving shots and playing catch-up for most of the match against Lawson, who claimed his eighth national title - and his fifth in fours - although his first since 1997.

Last season he contested two finals and a semifinal without adding to his tally and only a week ago had to settle for second again in the men's singles final.

Team-mate Andrew Curtain claimed a sixth national title, having one pairs and four fours before yesterday's victory, all of them in the company of Lawson.

For team-mates Glen McDonald, also of Christchurch, and Wellington's Adam Newman, both New Zealand under-30 representatives, it is a first national crown.

Auckland-born Girvan, now resident in Australia, enjoyed a strong tournament, losing by a single shot to eventual winner Ali Forsyth in the semifinal of the singles as well as skipping this runner-up four.

His team-mates included another national under-30 representative, Timaru's Sean O'Neill, at three.

Girvan and O'Neill took those positions when two Dunedin players - international Paul Girdler and Steve Beel - were forced to withdraw from the original team due to work commitments. Kia Toa's Ritchie Kerr and Snow Roffey from Ashbury were late replacements at one and two.

They were behind throughout but when they closed an early 11-3 deficit to only two shots at 11-9, Lawson responded.

First he stretched the lead with a two on the 15th end, and as Girvan held shot to narrow the gap again on the next, Lawson trailed the jack into the ditch to turn one down to three up and stretch out to a 16-9 advantage.

From there Lawson and his classy side effectively closed out the scoring options for Girvan while picking up shots of his own, and Girvan raised the white flag with two ends remaining, nine shots adrift.

In the morning women's final, Maureen Parker from New Lynn in Auckland prevented a South Island title clean sweep, beating Dunedin's Mata McEwan 16-14 in a tight and see-sawing battle.

McEwan, the 1998 champion, with Lyn Rance, Margaret Malcolm and one survivor from the 1998 team, Gloria Shine, on board, led throughout the early stages, but never by more than four clear shots.

And from 9-5 down after 10 of the scheduled 21 ends, Parker won five of the next six, including a three on the 15th, to lead 13-10.

But McEwan rallied to reclaim the lead at 14-13 with two to play, before Parker closed with two and one to finish.

Parker's win continues a New Lynn women's resurgence.

Although it is her own first national title, mother and daughter Norma Stewart and Janis Scott won the pairs last year, and Hetty Bolscher, completing the lineup, was runner-up in last year's singles.

- NZPA