Men’s Dick Bree Centre Triples and Women’s Centre Singles Preview by Linday Knight
Though the entries are disappointingly small, there should be some intense competition when two of the centre’s glamour titles, the men’s Dick Bree triples and the women’s championship singles, are held this weekend.
There are only 20 women, for instance, competing for the singles title and among the absentees are last year’s winner, Birkenhead’s multiple centre champion Ruth Lynch, and Takapuna’s Anne Dorreen.
But there are still some top class players, including several centre title-holders, in the five qualifying sections which will be contested at the Takapuna and Milford greens on Saturday.
One especially cut-throat section will comprise such outstanding bowlers as Elaine McClintock (Orewa), Lisa Parlane (Orewa), Deb Presland (Helensville) and Selina Goddard (Belmont Park).
Last years champion Ruth Lynch (Birkenhead) (R) will not be defending her title but runner-up Theresa Rogers (Mairangi Bay) (L) will be hoping to go one better
And if last year’s runner-up, Mairangi Bay’s Therese Rogers, is to repeat that feat and make Sunday’s play-offs at Browns Bay, she will have to overcome in her section Orewa’s Wendy Jensen, who was recalled recently to the national squad.
In the men’s triples there are many heavyweight combinations vying against each other in the nine qualifying sections.
Riverhead’s Duane McDonald, Gordon Smith and Steve Cox, will clash in qualifying at Browns Bay on Saturday with, among others, a well performed Mairnagi Bay trio of Ian Coombe, Don Ambrose and Brian Rogers.
And in their section John Walker, Colin Rogan and Dave McMurchy, now with Mairangi Bay, will be pitted against Birkenhead’s Gary Wallace, Lionel Drew and Robbie Henson.
Last season’s winners were Takapuna’s Chris Taylor, Bevan Smith and Dennis Hale, but with gold star holder Taylor unavailable, promising junior Bob Telfer has come in as skip.
Another formidable Takapuna combination could be that of Graham Skellern, Brett O’Riley and Daryl Read as, of course, will be that of Browns Bay multiple title-holders, Kerry Chapman, Brent Turner and Lindsay Gilmour.
Other line-ups not to be taken lightly include those of Bart Robertson (Helensville), his club-mate Terry Cullen, Grant Goodwin (Riverhead), Leon Wech (Mairangi Bay), Murray Mathieson (Takapuna), John Hindmarch (Northcote), Errol Koroi (Orewa) and Daymon Pierson (Birkenhead).
Post-section play for both singles and triples will be at Browns Bay on Sunday.
by Lindsay Knight