Composed & Confident: 1-5s impress in Women’s Singles
It was an impressive weekend for the 1–5s, with nine of the fourteen qualifiers showcasing skill and composure throughout the competition. Among the standouts were second-year players Sacha Collins (Titirangi) and Sue Carroll (Howick), who both caught the eye of the 1–5 Year Selectors with their poised performances.
A notable round of 16 clash saw Penny Yam and Henrietta Scott, both from Carlton Cornwall, square off in a rematch of their earlier 1–5 Singles semi-final. While Yam had prevailed in that encounter 21–14, this time it was Scott who found her rhythm—bouncing back from a shaky start to win convincingly, 21–10.
That victory sparked an exceptional run for Scott, who then defeated Jhanna Savov (Mt Albert) 21–14, followed by clubmate and National Pairs runner-up teammate Ashleigh Jeffcoat 21–12, to secure a place in the Final.
There, she will meet Lisa Prideaux, a NZ Development Squad member, who also had a strong weekend. Prideaux overcame a tense battle with the impressive Carroll—locked at 10-all before pulling away to win 21–11. She then dispatched an in-form Eva Bell (Mt Albert) and battled past Lesley McLinden (Royal Oak) 21–16, in a gritty semi-final match.
This sets up a thrilling final between two composed shot-makers, scheduled to kick off Centre Finals on Saturday, 26 April at Mt Eden Bowling Club.
Big Names & Big Games in Men’s Triples
A strong field of 29 men’s triples teams made it through to post-section play at Mt Eden, each securing the necessary two wins in section play. With both greens in full swing, the atmosphere was buzzing, and the draw delivered some blockbuster early matchups.
In an all-Royal Oak showdown, Mike Galloway, Martin Dixon, and Steve Fisher edged out Gavin Brown, Dan Delany, and Kevin Dixon in a tight match, pulling ahead with key shots in the closing ends.
In the same half of the draw, the “Young Guns” faced off as Liam Hill’s side took on Adam Blucher’s. Hill’s team opted for a more controlled drawing approach, outplaying their aggressive counterparts for a 24–10 win. Both Hill and Galloway’s teams rode that momentum into the semi-finals, where they’ll face off on the bottom half of the draw.
The top half saw Kevin Beasley (Howick) and juniors Simon Gao and Chris Hand edge a strong St Heliers side of Dean Edge, Dean Keven, and Paul Davison, 22–19. They followed that up with a confident win over Nick Thompson (Mt Albert) and Mike Bradshaw (Auckland BC), before drawing Chong du Cheng (Carlton Cornwall) in the semi. Cheng’s run was quiet but efficient—dispatching Ula Fusimalohi (Auckland BC), David Ball (Carlton Cornwall), and Dan Geaney (Blockhouse Bay).
Finals Weekend
The remaining matches will join the Men’s Singles, Women’s Triples, and 1–5 Singles during Centre Finals Weekend, set for 26 & 27 April at Mt Eden Bowling Club.
All open-grade finals are scheduled for Saturday, 26 April with the 1–5 Singles Finals wrapping up on Sunday morning, 27 April. With high-calibre matchups and a green that rewards precision, consistency, and creative shot-making, it’s shaping up to be a spectacular weekend of bowls.
👉 Check out the full schedule here
