Newcomers to four in bowls

Press, 10 February 1986, Page 4

Newcomers to four in bowls

PA Hamilton Relative newcomers to the national competition scene dominated the fours section of the women’s Dominion bowls tournament at Hamilton yesterday. A Leamington team, skipped by Pat Fletcher, knocked out the only two remaining name players in the contest to reach the quar-ter-finals. Fletcher narrowly beat Rhoda Ryan (Matamata), 2221, and then had a tense 2521 win over Daphne le Breton (Kapiti). In the third round of play yesterday Fletcher came back, after being down 3-10, to beat Jo Dickson (Waikanae Central), 24-17. Fletcher, whose team Is Betty Hines, Nellie Shaw and Olive Williams, was runnerup in the 1982 national singles but is new to national fours competition. The Kihikihi team of skip, Maida Russ, Rona. Carver, Elsie Martin and Dulcie Francis are also through to the quarter-finais. Russ scored clear cut wins over Squib Ramsay (Tauranga), 24-10, Eunice Mason (Hastings), 23-14, and Mary Eliason (New Plymouth), 22-13. Singles play yesterday brought a mixed result for top players in the tournament. Matamata’s Rhoda Ryan, the singles champion in 1980

and Commonwealth Games team nominee, won two games beating Gloria Bryant (Hawera), 20-16 and Thelma Snell (Whangarei), 20-10. A fellow Matamata player, Zelda Clements, was also successful in her two games, scoring strongly to win against Tottie Hale (Lepperton), 18-13, and Peg Woodfield (Linwood), 22-15. A Commonwealth Games team non-travelling reserve Vera Bindon (Rocky Nook), beat a team member, Denise Page (Linwood), 19-10, in her first game and then in a close tussle edged ahead of Sarah Mating! (Ngongotaha), 17-16. Five players have so far made it through to the singles quarter-finals. They are: Bindon, Clements, Ryan, Mary Buchanan (Gate Pa) and Jill Wasley (Nolantown). Fours results: M. Russ (Kihikihi) 23; E. Mason (Hastings) 14; M. Eliason (New Plymouth) 16; J. Simpson (Matamata) 15; J. Dickson (Central) 31; S. Barnett (Omokoroa) 21; P. Fletcher (Leamington) 25; D. le Breton (Kapiti) 21; S. Ross (Mt Maunganui) 22; F. Baird (Tauranga) 17; R. McEldowney (Okato) 19; E. Lund (Tauranga) 15; J. Kelghtley (East End) 21; S. Fougere 19; S. Shaw (Mission Bay) 23; B. Dalton (Papatoetoe) 22. Quarter-finals: Russ 22, Eliason 13; Fletcher 24, Dickson 17; Shaw 21, Ross 15; McEldowney 21, Keightley 16.