Women’s Centre Triples & Men’s Centre Singles

This weekend’s Centre events (subject to weather) see’s some interesting match up’s.

Bruce McClintock faces a tricky path if he is to defend the North Harbour men’s championships singles in which he was an upset winner in the 2017-18 season.

 A steady performer at centre level for several seasons, McClintock, now with Orewa after a lengthy stint with Browns Bay, has been drawn to play at Birkenhead for the qualifying play in this season’s glamour event.

 David Eades. also from Orewa, and Helensville stalwart Bart Robertson, are other high profile players at Birkenhead’s qualifying sections. But McClintock’s most immediate obstacle will be having been placed in the same section as one of Harbour’s most promising players.

 This is Daryl Read, the Taranaki product now serving in the Navy and a dual member with the Belmont Park and Takapuna clubs.

 Others at Birkenhead seeking to make Sunday’s post section play at Milford will be two distinguished veterans in Browns Bay’s Brent Turner and Birkenhead’s Lionel Drew. They will have to head off two promising up-and-comers in Mairangi Bay’s Michael Jelley and Takapuna’s Gordon Jenkins.

 

  At Takapuna, qualifying section top players in Orewa’s Wayne Wrack. Northcote’s Brent Malcolm and Browns Bay’s Kerry Chapman will be involved, and there will be a diverting first up battle on their home green between Norm Scott-Morrison and Chris Taylor.

 In the sections at Brown’s Bay Riverhead’s Steve Cox and former Auckland and Bay of Plenty bowler Graham Skellern, now with Takapuna, are in the same group and the multi-decorated Colin Rogan will have to get past Takapuna’s former Olympic athlete, Bevan Smith.

 Riverhead’s Duane McDonald and Takapuna’s Trevor Forward feature in the Sunnybrae sections and a mainly young group at Milford are headed by Helensville’s Mark Preedy and Garry Banks.

 In all there are 19 sections, with post-section play, along with the women’s triples, at Milford on Sunday.

 A total of 24 teams are in the women’s event. Mairangi Bay’s Jan Gledhill and her lead Theresa Rogers are back to defend the title they won last season, but with a new two. Gerd Huitcheson has replaced the unavailable Hilary Ross.

 There are several strong combinations in another small, but quality entry. Orewa’s national squad member and recent winner of the singles, Wendy Jensen, skips the experienced Gail Dick and the promising Jacqui Broderson and also from the Orewa club are the equally formidable Lisa Parlane, Elaine McClintock and Jan Harrison.

 Trish Croot skips a talented Takapuna threesome, with Anne Dorreen and Robyne Walker at two and lead and other eminent skips with solid line-ups include Ruth Lynch (Birkenhead), Jan Jones (Sunnybrae), Mary Gulbrandsen (Sunnybrae), Shona Chambers (Browns Bay) and Deb Presland (Helensville).