Title means Looker has finally made it

Terrace End's Brian Looker quipped that he had finally made it in bowls after skipping his team to a convincing champion-of champions triples title at Hokowhitu yesterday.

It was a stellar day for the club as they won both the senior men's and women's titles in strong efforts, with Ashhurst beating Himatangi Beach in the men's intermediate final.

"I read in the paper last week that you had to win a senior centre title to have made it in bowls," Looker laughed.

"That was my first centre title so I think I'm there now.

It was also lead Scruff Andrews' first centre title, while Shane Rogers notched his fourth.

Looker (48) is at Ohakea, in 3 Squadron with the helicopters, having been in the air force for 30 years.

He's played bowls for 13 years and in one of the few finals he's played in recently, lost the open singles final to Barry Wynks.

"I've found out there's a big step between making a final and actually winning one," Looker, who is in the Manawatu representative side, said.

"It's good to get one out of the way."

Of the four games they played on the way to the title, only the third, against Takaro, was a close contest. Looker said they looked out of it needing six in the final two ends against the strong Wynks-skipped team.

However, a five on the penultimate end then a two on the last secured an unlikely semifinal match-up with the strong Northern triple of Philip Skoglund, Phil Skoglund and Derek McKee.

Surprisingly, Northern offered little and conceded at 27-11 with four ends remaining.

The final with Bulls was the same with Bulls conceding the game at 22-6 down.

The Terrace End men's team can only look in amazement as clubmate Bev Budd racked up her 30th senior centre title, skipping her team of Georgie Kahui-Rogers and Sheryn Blake to a 25-19 win over Chris Quinn's Northern team including Lynley Rogers and Julie Palmer.

It was a triumphant return to bowls for Blake who put her team in a commanding position at lead in most of the ends.

Blake has only recently returned to bowls after being struck by a car while walking last year.

For Northern, Palmer did well at No2 and skip Blake saved her team from an earlier end to the game with some strong recovery shots.

Ashhurst's intermediate men's final win, 25-11 over Himatangi Beach, was a real family affair with Mark McIntosh skipping a triple that included his sons, Eion and Peter.

- © Fairfax NZ News