Bowls: Past winners head straight for the top

Bowls pairs defending champion Chris Le Lievre. Photo / NZPA

Losing no time in their efforts to once again drink from the winners' cup at the national open championships, a slew of bowlers from podiums past charged through their sections in the men's pairs and women's singles.

For the women it was all or nothing today as they rolled through four matches in a row to qualify for post-section knockout rounds on Saturday.

The men's pairs will have to endure one more day of section play as they roll up tomorrow for the final three rounds to weed out those fit for the sudden death format of post-section play.

Considered some of the best bowlers in the country; multiple national title-holder Gary Lawson (Belfast) and pairs defending champion Chris Le Lievre (Onehunga) joined 2009 pairs victors Rob Ashton (Johnsonville) and Ray Boffa (Paraparaumu Beach), defending fours champion Matt Gallop (Cabramatta) and New Zealand squad member Shannon McIlroy (Stoke) and the youthful Andrew Kelly-Greg Ruaporo duo (Canterbury, Hillsboro) in making a clean sweep of their first day on the greens.

Meanwhile, fresh from their gold medal success at the Asia Pacific Championships their Black Jack contemporaries Danny Delany and Richard Girvan (Onehunga) made the best of a poor start by winning two matches from three.

Father and son pair Jamie and Neville Hill (Avondale) took up the challenge in the first round and beat Delany and Girvan 16-10.

Black Jack magic on the greens also seemed somewhat lacking in the women's singles as Genevieve Baildon (Hillcrest) was ousted from the discipline after losing the first two rounds, one of which was to rising star Karen Guilford (Johnsonville).

Guilford only just lost out to Commonwealth Games medallist Jan Khan in the singles final of the New Zealand Open this year and she won three matches in a row today and took the final game in a default.

Nursing an injured shoulder, 2011 Asia Pacific Champs gold medallist Leanne Curry (Frankton Railway) didn't make the greens today but will be back to tackle the competition in the pairs and defend her national title in the fours.

Another national title holder with an eye on the silverware after taking the title in 2009 was Sue Wightman (Hakaru), who stormed past the opposition to win all her matches; with a default in the final round as her opponent pulled out.

Fours defending champion Angela Boyd (Taradale) finished the day early with the same record, joining sister and fellow defending fours champion Mandy Boyd in post-section play after the younger sibling won three matches from four to qualify.

Tomorrow will see the crucial qualifying matches played in the men's pairs as they vie for position in post-section, while the women begin qualifying rounds in the pairs.