BNH Interclub Women’s Division 1 and the Division 2 Report
For the third consecutive year Mairangi Bay will represent North Harbour when the national women’s inter-club sevens are decided in Wellington next month, after a post-section day of high drama and fluctuating fortunes.
In Sunday’s final Mairangi Bay beat the host club two matches to one, but only after the Wendy Jensen-skipped four of three Jeni Hart, two Loz Croot and lead Jamie Chen had threatened to snatch victory from their Mairangi Bay counter-parts, Sheryl Wellington, Jan Gledhill, Jodie Cottier and Theresa Rogers.
After Mairangi’s most accomplished player Elaine McClintock had duly won her singles comfortably, Birkenhead’s outstanding pairs combination of Millie Nathan and Connie Mathieson, had levelled the score, the outcome evolved around the fours.
This looked to be headed Mairangi’s way when the Wellington four took a 11-1 lead after eight ends. But, as they had done against Takapuna in the earlier semi-final, the Jensen four made a rousing comeback, with all players suddenly find their rhythm.
Jensen took the lead 12-11 after 11 ends and on the 12th was again holding shot. But the overall result was decided then. On the call of her experienced three Gledhill, Wellington played a superb run shot on her back hand to put the jack in the ditch for three shots and regaining the lead 14-12.
The momentum was then in Mairangi Bay’s favour and eventually the Wellington four won 19-13. It was a great performance for Mairangi Bay to achieve a hat-trick of titles, for while most of their seven were multiple centre champions there were two juniors. Julie Chhour led for Colleen Rice in the pairs, and Cottier, just a second-year player, confirmed herself as a bowler of immense promise.
In the semi-finals McClintock and the four were dominant against a gallant Mahurangi East, for whom Lorraine Brassett and Anne Harris had a well merited pairs win over Rice and Chhour.
In the other semi-final Birkenhead upset Takapuna, who had in their lineups three of the recent winners of the national fours championship, Lisa Dickson, Anne Dorreen and Lauren Mills.
Takapuna was given a great start in the singles where Black Jack Leeane Poulson was in imperious form. But in the pairs Dickson and Dorreen lost to Nathan and Mathieson, with the latter setting up the win with some outstanding draw bowls at lead in the first half of the game.
Like the fine players they are Dickson and Dorreen rallied from being 14-2 down to only lose 14-16, but pegging back such a lead was always an exercise in catch-up, which proved to be just a little too far.
After appearing to be in strong position with a 11-2 lead after eight ends the Takapuna four of Mills, Robyne Walker, Keiko Kurohara and Sarah Childs suddenly slumped and dropped a five and then a three on the second-to-last end to lose to Jensen’s Birkenhead 14-11.
Mairangi Bay made it a double by winning at Milford the division 2 competition, beating Hobsonville Hercules two games to one in the final. The winning Mairangi players were Rosemary Nicol, Barry McCrystal, Larry Cain, Ian Coombe, Lorna Donald, Peter Orgias, Judi Farkash and Glenda Rountree.
The Hobsonville runners-up were Lenice Baker, Addah Nyawo, Andy Lawrence, Darren Morrow, Deanna Bronlund, Car0l Voshaar, Kameel Singh and Stuart Bronlund.
The men’s inter-club championship will be decided at Browns Bay next Saturday. Confirmed semi-finalists from section 1 qualifying at the weekend are Mairangi Bay and Browns Bay. The other two will be found after section two’s final qualifying round early next Saturday. Leading contenders are Birkenhead, Orewa and Takapuna, with the key clash that between Birkenhead and Takapuna.