Bowls: NZ legend mulls future after missing medal

8.00am

MANCHESTER - Bowls legend and three times world champion Peter Belliss said he was reconsidering his future in the sport after his fours team went without a medal at the Manchester Commonwealth Games.

The New Zealand four skipped by Belliss went down 12-15 today to reigning Commonwealth Games champions Northern Ireland in the quarterfinals.

New Zealand were ahead 12-11 with two ends to go but lost three shots in the 14th end and another shot in the final end.

"There's not a great deal of chance that I will be here in four year's time," 50 year-old Belliss said. "I don't think this is the time to make a decision about whether you call it a day or not, but obviously it's getting closer."

Belliss is the reining world champion in the triples and won a bronze medal in the fours at the 2000 championships.

He made his Commonwealth Games debut in Brisbane in 1982, winning a bronze medal and added another bronze to his collection in the Victoria Games in 1994.

Although the fours' build-up form was off, Belliss said they were starting to get things together and had played well in section matches.

He refused to blame the much criticised greens at the Heaton Park venue, which were only laid last year and, like most English greens, played much slower than New Zealand ones.

The New Zealanders had shared two games against Northern Ireland when they had a week in Ireland preparing for Manchester.

"We're pretty disappointed about the result but feel we played pretty well during the tournament," Belliss said.

The men's four also narrowly missed a medal at the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur in similar circumstances with Wales pipping them with their last bowl.

Belliss said the whole New Zealand set-up would be analysed when the team returned. For the 2004 world championships the men's team returns to five members. It is only at Commonwealth Games where there are seven-man teams.

He was at a loss to explain the men's lack of medals at Commonwealth Games compared with their successes at world championships.

In all, Belliss has won four medals at the last two world championships, including a gold, silver and two bronzes.

"I don't know why you get a run where it doesn't go for you. However, you have to recognise they are pretty good opposition and they played pretty well."

Men's Singles Group Stages

Stephen Glasson (Aus) bt Ian Merrien (Gue) 21-12 (1-0 1-0 0-4 1-0 1-0 0-1 0-1 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 0-2 0-1 3-0 1-0 3-0 0-1 2-0 0-2 1-0 2-0 1-0)

Women's Fours Semifinal:

Eng 19 bt NZL 6

Can 13 bt Wal 12

Ellen Alexander, Shirley Page, Gill Mitchell, Carol Duckworth (Eng) bt Wendy Jensen, Patsy Jorgensen, Jan Khan, Anne Lomas (NZL) 19-6 (2-0 4-0 0-1 1-0 1-0 1-0 2-0 0-3 3-0 0-1 0-1 1-0 3-0 1-0)

Shirley Fitzpatrick-Wong, Andrea Weigand, Melissa Ranger, Anita Nivala (Can) bt Ann Sutherland, Pam John, Nina Shipperlee, Gillian Dawn Miles (Wal) 13-12 (0-2 1-0 2-0 0-3 2-0 1-0 0-1 0-1 2-0 0-1 0-2 0-1 0-1 1-0 4-0)

- NZPA

Full coverage:
nzherald.co.nz/manchester2002

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