JOHANNESBURG - It was deja vu for New Zealand at the world men's bowls championships as the Kiwis conspired to let the symbol of bowls supremacy, the Leonard Trophy, slip through their grasp.
The fours were beaten 23-19 by eventual winners Wales in the semifinals to take the bronze medal, and then singles player Andrew Curtain lost his final match in section play.
In 1988, despite winning the fours and triples and taking silver in the pairs, New Zealand were pipped by England for the trophy.
Wales won gold in the fours by beating South Africa 21-12 in the final. South Africa had done New Zealand a favour by ousting Scotland 20-8 in the semifinals.
So with Scotland's singles hope Alex Marshall out of the running for the semifinals, Curtain needed to beat Hong Kong's Noel Kennedy in his final match of section play to reach the semis and secure a historic first Leonard Trophy for New Zealand.
However, after holding an early 7-4 advantage, Curtain dropped a four on the next end to surrender the lead. He never regained it as Kennedy raced away to win 21-13 and end New Zealand's planned party celebrations.
Irishman Jeremy Henry beat Australian Steve Glasson by seven shots in the singles final. Henry, who won gold in the pairs in 1996, was too strong for Glasson, racing out to a 15-3 lead before taking the match 21-14.
However, Glasson's performance in the singles secured the Leonard Trophy for Australia. It was the first time an Australian team had won the trophy since the inaugural world championships in Sydney in 1966.
Earlier, Glasson destroyed Tony Allcock's dream of securing a hat-trick of world singles titles when he beat the English champion 21-16 in the semifinals.
A dejected Kiwi skip Peter Belliss said it was a disappointing way for New Zealand to end the tournament. "We probably only had to win two matches in the last five or six and we fell at each one of them.
"It is disappointing but that's what the game is all about. We had it in our own hands and couldn't ask for any more than that."
A lack of concentration at crucial times was blamed for the fours' failure to reach the gold medal playoff. The Kiwi quartet of Belliss, Rowan Brassey, Russell Meyer and Paul Girdler had several opportunities to take control of their match but couldn't capitalise.
The Kiwis end the tournament with the triples gold and bronze medals in the pairs and fours.
- NZPA
