Bold showing by Matamata bowlers

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 46

Bold showing by Matamata bowlers

Results from the second day yesterday in the fours at the Bell Tea national women’s bowls tournament in Christchurch make it plain to see why Matamata is rated the top club in New Zealand.

There are six Matamata teams contesting the championship and five of them have already qualified with four wins from as many games. The skips are. Rhoda Ryan, Betty Fitzell, Jenny Simpson, Elsie Wilkie -and Thelma Kidd. ’ The sixth Matamata skip, Dale Clements, has had just the one loss and she should pick up the further win she requires in the final two

section rounds today. Eighteen teams, from the entry of 280, had four wins to their credit last evening and have therefore qualified. However, the heavy rain which hit Christchurch late yesterday afternoon has

somewhat confused matters. On some greens play was finished when the rain arrived. On others the games were resumed after a break, but on six greens there was too much surface water for play ; to be restarted and these games will be completed before the start of the fifth round this morning. The organisers were not helped, either, when the umpire on one green (a male)

departed his post without ringing through the last round results. Attempts to track him down proved fruitless. So while there might be only 18 qualifiers so far, more will come in when all

the fourth round results are received and there are at least 100 others which have the chance of a fourth win today. The title-holder, Flo McKinnon (Whangarei), had her first win in the third round yesterday — 24-14 against Jessie Rogers (Burwood) — and she was among those who have still to finish their fourth round matches. While most of the fav-

oured teams are still within reach of a fourth win, there were some surprises yesterday. One was Nora Campi (Kamo), a previous winner, being beaten for the second time — 22-21 — by Lou Williams (Woolston W.M.C.). The two top local hopes, Lex Kimber and Agnes Beazley (both Linwood), each had a loss. Mrs Beazley went down 26-22 to Eileen Donnelly (Fendalton) in the third round and Mrs Kimber was beaten by one on an extra end by Ida Kereopa (Turangi) in the fourth, Mrs Kimber having the mortification of seeing her own bowl push in the opposition’s winning shot.

Alice Mcdonald (Burwood), Altha Triggs (Riccarton Women’s), Alice Whiting (Woolston W.M.C.), Joan Rennie (Rahgiora) and Mary McCarthy (Kirwee) are other leading Christchurch ■skips who require one more win today. Joyce Osborne (Manawatu), who suffered a surprise 18-13 loss to May Catherall (Shirley) on Monday, improved her chances by recording her second and third wins yesterday. Another prominent player one short of the target is Sadie Fauchelle (Coronation).

Mrs Fauchelle had a very heavy loss yesterday, 31-9, to Thelma Moffat (Avondale),

who like Mrs Fauchelle had three wins behind her when they met in the fourth round. The 18 skips who have reached the qualifying mark are:

D. Garrett (Upper Hutt), D. Marks (Barrington), R. Ryan (Matamata), D. Stacey (Westport), N. Hewinson (South Brighton), B. Fitzell (Matamata), J. Simpson (Matamata), E. Edyvean (Christ-church-Richmond), A. Katavich (Point Wells), I. Kereopa (Turangi), N. Jordan (St Kilda), N. Todd (Oroua), H. Lee (Waikouaiti), T. Moffat (Avondale), E. Wilkie (Matamata), T. MacDonald (Hikurangi), E. Aitchison (Hampden), T. Kidd (Matamata).