Champ of Champs 1-5 Year Singles – Weekend Wrap Up by Lindsay Knight

Hobsonville secured a notable double by winning both titles when the Bowls North Harbour 1-5 year singles championships were completed at the weekend.

 In Sunday’s final at Orewa Darren Morrow beat Takapuna’s Shaun Goldsbury 21-13 to win the men’s title and, in the women’s, final Hanaan Shahwan beat Manly’s Kathy Stevens 21-18.

 The men’s event in particular contained some cut-throat competition, which started in the very first round when centre representatives, Manly’s Andy Dorrance and Birkenhead’s Chad Nathan, clashed, both being seen as a potential winner.

 Dorrance won that but in turn was himself ousted 21-10 by regular training partner, Goldsbury, who clearly as a first-year player is a bowler of immense promise. His sudden emergence, however, might not be too unexpected. He has a strong sporting background himself in football and volleyball and comes from a Gisborne family prominent in Poverty Bay Centre bowls.

 In his semi-final Goldsbury beat Omaha Beach’s Mike Jackson 21-18 while Morrow in his semi-final was in commanding form to crush Beach Haven’s Darrin McLay 21-4.

 He carried this form into the final for a while Goldsbury again played well by his own admission he was edged by the better bowler on the day.

 Shahwan equally was a deserved winner of the women’s title, having a tougher passage to the final.

 Stevens had a first-round bye, then had a second-round win by default when one of the tournament favourites, Birkenhead’s Millie Nathan, was a late withdrawal.

 Stevens, however, did have to overcome a major obstacle in the semi-final in the shape of Takapuna’s Skye Renes, who in her short career already has an impressive array of centre titles, in the open ranks as well as the junior.

 In a torrid battle Stevens won their semi-final 21-20.