Birkenhead Mens Triples team success at the Nationals – Lindsay Knight

  Birkenhead’s Steve Yates, Jack Huriwai and Jimmy Heath, if missing out on the major prize, represented North Harbour with distinction at the national champion of champion triples contest in Hastings at the weekend.

 The trio made the semi-finals, where they were ousted by the eventual winners, Auckland’s Mike Galloway, Martin Dixon and Gavin Brown, from the Royal Oak club.

 In the final Royal Oak beat Nigel Birkbeck, Jonty Howell and Kelvin Buchanan, from Dunedin’s Kaikorai club, 14-10.

 Birkenhead lost its semi by the same four-point margin, 16-12. So that at least was some satisfaction and another was to go further in the competition than most other club sides, whose skips included some of the game’s legends, such as Peter Belliss and Gary Lawson.

 North Harbour’s women’s representatives, Mairangi Bay’s Sheryl Wellington and Theresa Rogers, competing in a national event for the second consecutive weekend, plus Gaye Horne, failed to qualify for post-section with just one win.

  Sarah Taukamo, Helen King and Robyn Rintoul, from Wellington’s Victoria club, won this event, beating Judy Robertson. Jean Young and Beth Brown, from Dunedin’s Taieri club, 18-9 in the final.