Bowls: 'Blood on the floor' warning

By SIMON LOUISSON

Mike Kernaghan got one back for New Zealand yesterday when he beat Australia's Steve Glasson 21-17 in a highly contentious bowls victory.

The normally genteel sport was rocked by the action of English umpire Michael Roberts, who incorrectly disqualified a Glasson bowl that swung the men's singles quarter-final.

Glasson stormed off the Heaton Park greens near tears and Australian team manager Geoff Oakley warned that if members of the New Zealand team came into the media centre while he was there, "there would be blood on the floor."

Oakley made a formal complaint against Roberts, demanding he not officiate again at the Games. No ruling was made because Roberts was not scheduled to umpire again.

The match took the gloss off a great day for New Zealand, with the women's pair of Sharon Sims and Jo Edwards winning through to the playoff for gold, Marlene Castle capturing bronze and Kernaghan, of Dunedin, also taking bronze.

Controversy has dogged the New Zealand bowls team, with disabled triples bowler John Davies sent home in disgrace last week for allegedly sexually harassing a Games volunteer.

The women's pair were in devastating form, wiping out the Welsh pair of Joanna Weale and Anwen Butten 20-11 for the gold playoff against South Africa.

They raced to an 11-0 lead after three ends and 19-2 after eight, and played defensively from that point.

The only match the pair have so far not won here was a 19-19 draw against the Isle of Man in section play when they had already qualified.

Marlene Castle, in her fourth Games, guaranteed herself a third Commonwealth medal to go with her Auckland Games silver in 1990 and bronze at Victoria in 1994.

She beat Northern Ireland's Margaret Johnston 21-8 in the quarter-final, but went down 14-21 to Malaysia's Ahmad Sitizalina in the semi.

Kernaghan was unsettled by his morning match. In the semifinal, he let world champion Jeremy Henry, of Northern Ireland, shoot to a 9-0 lead after three ends. Kernaghan pegged back to 6-10 after five ends, but Henry closed it out at 21-13.

Officials and players said yesterday's incident was unprecedented in international bowls.

The match was niggly from the start and by the third end Kernaghan complained to the referee about foot-faulting.

Glasson responded in the next end that Kernaghan had broken the "possession of the rink" rule, whereby a player following a bowl must arrive at the jack before it stops.

Designed to speed up the game, it is rarely, if ever, strictly implemented.

Both team managers were warned and after another complaint and warning each, Roberts told the players the next offending bowl would be "burnt."

It happened at a crucial point. With Glasson leading 17-15 at the 20th end, he drew the shot, but Roberts ruled that he had not surrendered the rink fast enough. His ruling was incorrect because the bowl had touched and trailed the jack, and the rules state he is allowed time to chalk the bowl.

Glasson had picked up four shots at the previous end and was looking good. After his bowl was removed, Kernaghan won the end by three shots, an effective swing of four against Glasson.

Kernaghan then picked up shots in the next two ends to win the match.

Oakley said the match left a sour taste in his mouth, echoing what Kernaghan said.

But the New Zealander said Glasson had brought it on himself.

"We had both been warned several times. Given that Steve was the person who originally complained about that particular part of the game, it came back to haunt him."

World Bowls Board technical delegate Kerry Clark, a New Zealander, investigated the formal complaint.

He said Roberts was forced by the laws of the game to take the action.

New Zealand team sports psychologist Paul Smith said he rejected Australian accusations that he had instructed players to niggle opponents to distract them.

Several of the New Zealand team were understood to be unhappy with the way the game went and Clark said things had changed considerably since he won his gold medal in Christchurch in 1974.

- NZPA

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