Bowls: NZ women bowlers draw first blood

WELLINGTON - The New Zealand bowls women's team were poised for an overdue series win after beating Australia 3-1 in the first of the transtasman tests at the Hutt Bowling Club yesterday.

New Zealand went 1-0 up in the three-test series after singles player Marlene Castle maintained her winning form over world under-25 champion Karen Murphy, while the triples and fours combinations also triumphed.

The New Zealand women have never won a transtasman series, a draw in their first encounter four years ago being the closest they have come.

Castle notched her third successive victory over Murphy with a 21-18 win, while Anne Lomas skipped the triples and fours to respective 22-16 and 16-15 wins.

The triples win with Patsy Jorgensen and Sharon Sims sealed the 3-1 result, the New Zealanders fighting back after losing six shots on one end to be well adrift for much of the match.

The New Zealand men went close to completing an exciting win in their first match after fighting back strongly from singles and fours defeats in the morning session.

Wins in the afternoon's triples and pairs levelled the men's match at two rubbers apiece, but the Australians won on a four-shot differential.

Seasoned campaigners Rowan Brassey and Peter Belliss, with lead Andrew Curtain, got the men back on track with a nailbiting 15-14 win over Adam Jeffrey, Mark Jacobsen and Rex Johnston in the triples, but five dropped shots on the penultimate end spoiled the opportunity of their regaining some points differential back on the Australians.

Russell Meyer and Paul Girdler still had New Zealand in a handy position in the pairs, the last match of the day, when leading 22-17 and holding three shots on the last end. But Australian skip Jocobsen ruined any New Zealand celebrations with a telling last delivery which allowed the visitors to win the end.

Despite losing the rubber 18-22, Australia had denied New Zealand a vital three shots and the opportunity of winning by eight.

- NZPA