Bowls: Leading pair divided for championship events

By TERRY MADDAFORD

National pairs champions Petar Sain and Wally Marsic have been split up for this week's national interclub and regional inter-centre championships in Palmerston North.

Sain will play singles for Carlton in the interclub, and Marsic will skip the four.

The singles will be keenly contested, with Sain facing former internationals David File (Te Karaka) and Keith Slight (Aramoho), national singles champion Ali Forsyth (United, Nelson), Graham Skellern (Tauranga South) and Fairfield's Robbie Thomson.

Fairfield are back to defend their title.

Women's national singles champion Marie Watson will play at No 3 in the four, leaving Val Smith to represent defending champions Nelson's United in the singles.

United are the only club represented in the men's and women's events at the Lion Foundation-sponsored championship which will be played over full round robins tomorrow and Friday.

On Saturday and Sunday, again at the Palmerston North BC, six teams will play the men's and women's inter-centre events.

Sain will again play singles (for Auckland) but Marsic will play No 2 in the Peter Thorne-skipped four.

Recalled international Gary Lawson will skip the Canterbury pair, with Stephen Ditfort as his lead. Andrew Curtain will play singles for the defending inter-centre champions.

The Waikato women are also back to defend with a strong team who include Marina Khan and Bev Corbett in the four.