West End pipped in last round

ROBERT CHARLES

West End's David Bennett bowls during the zone four men's interclub playoffs in New Plymouth on Saturday.

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A valiant attempt by the West End club ultimately came up short as the favoured Eastbourne team claimed the honours in the zone four men's bowls interclub playoffs in New Plymouth on Saturday.

The clubs were even on eight points going into the third and final round but, while Eastbourne won two of its three games, West End managed only one win.

However, there was some consolation for West End when its premier reserve side turned the tables and beat Eastbourne.

In the top women's section, Johnsonville took the title, with the second women's section going to Castlecliff.

In the main men's event, Eastbourne finished on 12 match points, followed by West End on 10, Wanganui on eight and Paraparaumu Beach on six.

Eastbourne won through after Andy Curtain, playing with Bruce Henderson, recorded three wins in the pairs, as did Gary Lawson's four.

They required all of those, as singles player Blake Signal was winless.

Curtain came from nowhere to pip Jim Martin (Paraparaumu Beach) in the first game and his 19-10 third-round effort over David Bennett was a double-edged sword for West End's hopes. Lawson's biggest scare came in the first game when he beat Gary Lilley. Lawson trailed by one with two to play, but the magician produced a four and then denied the Lilley side of Keith Sampson, John Garrud and Royce Hill on the final end, after West End had held four shots.

Bennett and Noel Probyn finished with one win, while Craig Johns produced two wins, his only loss coming in round three to Clint Park (Wanganui).

Johnsonville finished with 15 points in the top women's event, followed by Paraparaumu Beach on 11, Laird Park six and Lepperton four.

The defining factor was Kaaren Guilford winning all three singles games for Johnsonville, while Audrey Stevenson managed only one victory for the Kapiti side.

Lepperton never recovered from the first round where Joan Richards and Mabel Moratti posted a comfortable win, but both June Ward and Ellie Goble's four lost by two points.

In the men's second section, West End's Neville Sole and Noel Brookes produced the trump card in round three, beating Clint Carroll (Eastbourne) 17-16, after trailing 12-5 early on.

West End finished on 14 points, with Eastbourne 12, Castlecliff six and Otaki four.

Sole and Brookes finished with two wins, as did Jocky Bright's four.

Castlecliff recovered from a slow start to win all six afternoon games in the women's second section.

That carried the Wanganui side to 14 points, the same as Island Bay, but superior points differential brought Castlecliff home.

Paraparaumu Beach finished on seven points with Vogeltown last on one.

- © Fairfax NZ News