Day 2: Nine teams through in women’s open

Grant Hassall

There were peaceful sleeps last night for nine of the 82 teams competing in the 71st Taranaki women’s Open fours tournament.

Those nine sides have already done the deed and secured the necessary four wins to advance to Friday’s post section play. Three are Taranaki teams — Val Symes (Fitzroy), Gale Fache (Paritutu) and Heather Johns (Paritutu). Lesley McLinden (Bridge Park), Jane Selby-Paterson (Otaki), Anne Lomas (Hunua), Diane Strawbridge (Mangawhai), Wendy Green (Ngongotaha) and Irene Poletti (Levin) complete the full list of the early qualifiers.

Lomas continued to progress reasonably untroubled. Her side beat Tereska Knap (Miramar) 25-12 and then eliminated Taranaki rep Susan Cottam (West End) 22-11. On an adjacent rink at Urenui, Johns also made it four. Her side had convincingly beaten Cottam 30-13 in the morning and then beat Andrea Grant (Browns Bay) 32-23. Grant has done well to rebound from a first game thumping from Lomas on Tuesday to post two wins. A repeat looked on the cards, with Johns leading 15-1 after seven ends. But the North Harbour side hung in the match. An eight to Grant on end 20 made it 23-21 to Johns. But the experienced Taranaki double gold star holder then pulled away again. Also in section four, Pauline Davy (Opunake) and Judy Cato (nee Broomfield, Te Awamutu) posted two wins each to sit comfortably on three wins apiece.

In section five, Strawbridge beat Lisa Carlson (Kia Toa) 40-13 and Diane Smith (Te Puke) 27-19. There were two losses, though, for Cathy Andrews (Paritutu). Andrews is due to meet Dot Collis (Waitarere Beach) this afternoon. The Kapiti side, after a narrow opening loss to Strawbridge has put together three successive wins. Collis holds 14 Kapiti titles.

The closest game of the morning in section six saw Angela Stephen (Omokoroa) edge Pam Mulford (Plimmerton) 20-19. Stephen claimed a third win after lunch, but Mulford suffered her second defeat in going down 34-15 to Poletti. Poletti learned her bowls in Taranaki, winning two centre titles before moving south. Her side had a memorable day for in the morning round it had enjoyed an equally commanding victory, 27-15 over Gayle Melrose (Papakura). Melrose’s side took its second win in round four and now must navigate past two three winners today. Green beat Robyn Klenner (Fitzroy) 25-14 and Shirley Passey (Havelock North) 26-15. Passey was in touch trailing 13-12 after 16 ends before Green’s side moved away.

Gloria Duffin’s Tauranga South team, after two wins on Tuesday, suffered two narrow defeats. They went down to Symes 27-25 and then Fache 26-23. Duffin actually led Symes 19-13 after 16 ends. But Symes claimed three threes on the later ends to take a one-shot advantage at the commencement of the last head. Against Fache, Duffin led 18-15 after 16 ends. Just one shot separated the teams after 23 ends, before Fache sealed it with two singles. Anne Searancke (Tawa), Denise Te Momo (Pirongia) and Mary Korewha (Opononi) all won twice to sit on three wins. A transposition of a result from Tuesday saw Te Momo being recorded with a loss. But she does most certainly have three wins and is odds-on to qualify. McLinden merged as the only current qualifier from section one. It wasn’t easy, though. The Aucklanders had two one pointers — 28-27 over Leanne Poulson (Papakura), an upset given the standing of Poulson in particular, and 20-19 over Chris Telford (Hastings).

Poulson got the show back on the road after lunch with an easy win. She has three wins, as does the tidy New Plymouth side skipped by Elaine Hodge and Debbie Wildermoth (Laird Park). Wildermoth had been surprised 27-13 by Lee McDonald (Mercury Bay) in the morning.

The four wins secured by Selby-Paterson, given the quality of section two, has been a mighty effort. That is perhaps best highlighted by her team’s 30-8 afternoon victory over Patty Symes (Tower). Symes, a tough competitor, had claimed her second win in the morning 21-15 over Marilyn Constantine (Tauranga), but found Selby-Paterson too hot to handle. That was Constantine’s second loss but her side kept its hopes alive in the afternoon and is predicted to still make the cut. A crucial fourth round game was between Kristin Stampa (Hawera Park) and Ruth Spittle (Taradale), the current Hawke’s Bay open singles titleholder.

Both headed into the match with two wins and the sides were locked at 20-all playing the last end. Spittle held two shots approximately 30cms away. That was until Stampa, with the last bowl of the match, drew a toucher to take a 21-20 win.

Defending champion Jane McIntyre (Renwick) had an almost identical day two to Tuesday. The morning round saw her side win, albeit in a close-run affair. McIntyre beat Kaye Bunn (Thames Coast) 23-22. McIntyre raced out to a 9-0 lead after four ends. But Bunn stuck to the task. And aided by a four on the 23rd end, led 22-19. McIntyre replied with a single and a two to draw the game. The South Islanders then took a single on the extra end.

But again McIntyre was undone a 24-23 scoreline on an extra end in the afternoon, this time by Frances Parkes (Tower). McIntyre took a four on the penultimate end to lead by one shot. Parkes replied with a single on the 25th and also a single on the extra end. Parkes, who was part of the winning team in 2001, has also had three wins, after her side beat Estelle Hickey (Carlton Cornwall) 22-17 in the morning. Parkes led that match 12-4 after 12 ends, before Hickey’s side inched back into the game, with the difference just two shots playing the last end. Hickey won easily in the afternoon, but with no four winners, section three is sure to see plenty of tense matches today at New Plymouth.