Bowls: Rejected bowler silences critics

By BOB PEARCE

Pakuranga bowler Mike Galloway gave the game away for a year in frustration at not being selected for representative teams.

With a stunning defeat of Peter Belliss yesterday, he made the selectors sit up as he earned the right to play Dunedin bowler Mike Kernaghan (North East Valley) in the final of the national singles at Onehunga on Monday.

The 34-year-old Galloway, who will also play in the semifinals of the pairs on Sunday, is the greenkeeper at Pakuranga and has been preparing the greens there before playing each day.

He did not vary his routine yesterday, though it was a 7.15 am start rather than the 6.15 am he has managed on some days. And he treated the game against the Australian-based former champion Belliss in much the same way.

"I knew I would have to play my best," he said, "and I respect what he's done. But we've played before when I was in Palmerston and he was in Wanganui, so he was just another player on the green.

"I played my best game of the day and I think I've silenced a few critics."

The game was always close, but Galloway consistently drew the shot and put Belliss under pressure he had not experienced in earlier rounds.

Galloway led 12-5 and 18-12 before Belliss edged his way back to 20-18. But Galloway held his nerve and when a Belliss drive missed, he was into his first singles final at the nationals, 21-18.

The Pakuranga bowler had earlier shown coolness under pressure, recovering from 16-17 down to beat national representative Paul Girdler (North East Valley) 23-18.

Kernaghan, a 45-year-old who until recently was director of development for Bowls NZ, has also yet to break his duck at a national tournament. He reached the singles semifinals six years ago and lost the pairs final when the nationals were last in Dunedin.

He admits to having no great expectations when he came to Onehunga for the last-16 playoff yesterday because he is not a great player on fast greens, and the baking Auckland sun had made the Onehunga green lightning fast.

But Kernaghan raced past his first two opponents and was always in control against surprise semifinalist Mike Bowden from Bowls Napier.

Bowden, a cleaner who was laid off before Christmas, had beaten Kelvin Scott (North East Valley) 22-20 and Leo Leonard (Kia Toa) 21-16, but always trailed Kernaghan to lose 13-21.

Defending champion Petar Sain (Carlton) was beaten in the first round by Leonard 14-21.

Today and tomorrow the final 20 in the fours will be reduced to two for the grand final of all three disciplines on Monday.