KEY POINTS:
New Zealand representatives Doug Wilson and Richard Collett applied the never-give-up philosophy to qualify for post-section play in the men's pairs at the national bowls championships in Dunedin yesterday.
After managing just one victory on Thursday, they faced the daunting prospect of having to win all three matches yesterday to stay alive, and managed it in style with 23-5, 26-3 and 20-9 wins.
Wilson, in the New Zealand team to play Canada next month, said he and Collett, a national development team member, had played inconsistently on the opening day but found their rhythm on the Leith greens yesterday.
"It would have been disappointing to miss out on post section," said Wilson. "Now that we're there, we can hopefully maintain our form."
Wilson and Collett were one of five combinations to qualify the nerve-racking way, having to win all three matches yesterday.
The others were Craig Carter and Jeff Nowell (Methven), Isaac Denny and Geoff Clarke (Burnside), Peter Barron (Wakari) and Ken Wright (North East Valley) and Malaysians Amir Mohammad and Azmi Mohammad.
A total of 113 pairs have qualified for tomorrow's post-section play.
None was more impressive than Dwayne Cameron and Shannon McIlroy, who comfortably recorded five straight victories.
Registering equally emphatic victories in qualifying play were Ali Forsyth and Matt Gallop, Ryan Bester and Andrew Todd (who chalked up six victories), Rowan Brassey and Tony Grantham, Ken Walker and Andy McLean, Glen McDonald and Steve Ditford, Paul Girdler and Sean O'Neill, Bruce Henderson and Mike Carroll and Rob Ashton and Mark Noble.
Brassey, who won the pairs title 24 years ago in partnership with Danny O'Connor, was supposed to be playing with Gary Lawson, but when Lawson's wife, Judy, was rushed back into hospital last week, he withdrew.
That led to North Harbour representative Tony Grantham receiving a telephone call on Christmas eve from Brassey.
"Get yourself to Dunedin," he told Grantham. "I need a partner."
Grantham did what he was told, booking a one-way air ticket.
'I've no idea when I'll be heading back home," he said. "They've managed to fit me into the singles, and we're still alive in the pairs."
Probably the most exciting contest yesterday was that at Bowls Dunedin headquarters, where Steve Beel and Mark Sandford came from 11-16 down with two ends remaining to beat Shaun "The Scud" Scott and district court magistrate Stephen O'Driscoll 17-16.
Toronto-based Sandford, a member of the Canadian team competing in the Asia Pacific championships in Christchurch in two weeks, impressed with his accurate lead bowling, although it was the immaculate draw bowling by Beel on the 18th and final end that secured the victory.
- NZPA
