Report – The Grove Orewa, BNH Women’s Fours by Lindsay Knight

      

Mairangi Bay continued its excellent record in women’s centre events this season with the Sheryl Wellington-skipped combination winning The Grove Orewa, BNH Championship Fours and at the same time giving two of its players milestones to celebrate.

 Sheryl skipped Jan Gledhill, Colleen Rice and Theresa Rogers to a 20-15 win in Sunday’s final at Manly over Takapuna’s Lisa Dickson, Robyne Walker, Jacqui Belcher and Robyn Pittams.     This gave Sheryl her fifth centre title for her gold star, while Theresa landed her 10th to add a bar to her gold star. For Jan it was her eighth title and for Colleen her second.  It was the third centre title in women’s championships for Mairangi this season, with Elaine McClintock winning in the singles late last year and the pairs just before Christmas with Kerin Roberts.

 To make the final Sheryl’s four had to beat another Mairangi Bay combination, that of Gaye Horne, Hanaan Shahwan, Joy Watkinson and Julie Chhour 19-7.  Gaye’s four had been the only unbeaten team in qualifying, including a decisive win over the other finalist.   But the Dickson four also qualified as having the best points differential of the second placed teams and in the other semi-final it beat Manly’s Robyn Henderson, Kathy Stevens, Helen Briant and Elaine Ferguson.  Despite losing the final it was a memorable tournament for Lisa’s lead, Robyn Pittams, not so long ago prominent in North Harbour netball circles. She is only in her second season in bowls.

 Only 12 teams entered but what was lacked in quantity was compensated for in quality and despite the poor conditions, especially on Saturday, the standard of play was high.