Report – Results BNH Champ of Champ Triples – 10 & 11 May 2025
Helensville and Mairangi Bay, two of the centre’s most consistent clubs in recent seasons, took the major honours when the champion of champion triples titles were decided at Hobsonville at the weekend.
Helensville’s Carlson Barnett, Brendon McPhail, still a junior and one of Harbour’s most promising younger bowlers, and the multiple centre champion Bart Robertson, won the men’s final, beating Manly’s Keith Benson, Paul Daniels and Kevin Rainsford, 17-13.
And Mairangi’s Jan Gledhill, Colleen Rice and Sheryl Wellington won the women’s final beating Birkenhead’s Linda Burriss, Lauranne Croot and Connie Mathieson, 16-14.
It was McPhail’s first open Harbour title, Barnett, who earlier this season won the mixed pairs, gained his fourth and for Robertson his 16th and possibly last, for he is soon moving to Taranaki, which will be their gain and Harbour’s loss.
In the semi-finals Helensville beat Mairangi Bay’s Phil Chisholm, Bruce McClintock and David Payne 14-10 and Manly beat Birkenhead’s Tony Grantham, Nick Cape and Evan Thomas 21-16.
Birkenhead’s defeat came after they had been in imposing quarter-final form crushing Takapuna’s Chris Taylor, Murray Mathieson and Walter Howden, all of whom are centre gold star badge holders, 22-9.
Manly caused the biggest boil over, though, ousting the celebrated Browns Bay threesome of Neil Fisher, Colin Rogan and John Walker 14-12 in the opening round. This was Rainsford’s third appearance in a final this season, and two weeks ago he won the champion of champion singles.
In the women’s competition there was also an abrupt exit for another favoured combination in Takapuna’s Lisa Dickson, Lauren Mills and Anne Dorreen, another trio with a heap of titles to their names.
They, too, went out in the first round, beaten by Manly’s Trish Croot, Margaret Eames and Judy Smith. Takapuna came to the second to last end six ahead but then dropped a maximum six and then two on the last end.
Manly then went out themselves in the next match, 21-4 to Birkenhead.
In the semi-finals Mairangi Bay beat Hobsonville’s Deanne Bronland, Hanaan Shahwan and Carol Voshaar 19-9 , while Birkenhead beat Browns Bay’s Heleen Cooper, Lyn Cooper and Teresa van Doorne 16-13. It was Gledhill’s ninth centre title, Rice’s third and Wellington’s sixth, adding to the great record Mairangi Bay has had recently in women’s events.
