Bowls Tawa

SATURDAY 7 MARCH

Men's Championship fours

Semifinal

Dave Richards, Dave Connell, Dave Calcott and Graham Young 19 beat Dave Nolan (subbing for Ben Abraham), Kit Chu, John Thorn and Ian Matheson 8

Final

Dave Richards, Dave Connell, Dave Calcott and Graham Young 22 beat Lynn Fenwick, Paul McEnaney, Gary Hedgman, and Rodger Broomhall 9

Men's 1 to 7 year Pairs (morning results only)

Rodger Broomhall and John Mora 15 beat Mike Williamson and Scott Johnson 13

Ray Campbell and Les Wightman 23 beat Alan Martin and Mac Fa'atafa 4

Michael Johnson and Michael Gillett 13 beat Nathanael Lucas and Thomas Coulman 4

Working Bee

Brian Gundesen and Bruce Christie worked tirelessly throughout almost all the daylight hours Saturday on preparing the new nursery area, sifting soil and cleaning and tidying up the equipment shed area.They had help on Saturday morning from Lynn Fenwick, Ken Ritchie, Chas McMahon and Dave Nolan.

SUNDAY 8 MARCH

Women's Senior Pairs (morning results only)

Doreen McEnaney and Robyn Gundesen 16 beat Jan Diskin and 7

Pam Burgess and Cathie Wilkinson13 beat Daphne Fenwick and Tia Strickland 12

Dawn Rangi and Dorothy Belz 19 beat Judith McNickle and Judy Toomer 12

Margaret Amey and Betty Broadbelt 11 beat Sue Chu and Eunice Rogers 9

Marion Connell and Nanette Crowe 13 beat Lynette Clarke and Noeline Alexander 10

Blight Cup at Tawa Services

the Tawa teams were:

Ross Gillett, Bruce Christie, Gary Hedgman, Rodger Broomhall
Robbie MacInarlin, Dave Richards, Bob Liddle, Nathanael Lucas
Paul McEnaney, Max Burgess, Mike Williamson, Dave Connell
Lynn Fenwick, Michael Johnson, Scott Johnson, Michael Gillett

The Tawa teams represented the Club very well, and all members of all teams put up some excellent bowls. However, the Cup was won again by Titahi Bay, who had their usual very strong team, with 17 points and 215 shots. Tawa was second, with13 points and 205 shots, Tawa Services were third, with 12 points and 204 shots, with Whitby (which Club replaced Porirua Hospital from previous years) fourth with 7 points and 169 shots. The number of shots scored by each Club shows how close the final result was, and this was a fair reflection of play throughout the day. Tawa Services Club provided a top surface on which to play and were very pleasant and gracious hosts.

"Quotable Quotes"

When I asked how Graham Young qualified to play championship fours with Messrs Richards, Connell and Calcott, all who have the same christian name, I was told: "He's an honorary David for this competition"!

At the finish of the Blight Cup, John Munson, Tawa Servies' president, read out the results and then added: "I can't present the Cup, because Titahi Bay didn't bring it back today".This comment was greeted with some ribaldry by the Titahi team, their comments including:

"Oh, did we win it last year as well?".

"We couldn't find it among all our other trophies".

"Would you like us to keep it permanently"!

I believe that a special mention should be made in the Wrong Bias of the incredible amount of time spent working for the Club by Brian Gundesen and Bruce Christie. Every time I have visited the Club in the last week, and that has been on five of the seven days, one or both of these gentlemen has been toiling away down there. I wouldn't be surprised if they had worked there every day of the week.They have prepared an excellent site for a new cotula nursery, to the west of green one near the flagpole, which involved the lifting and disposing of turf, ensuring that the edges are straight, and removing about six inches of earth so that the new soil, which they spent hours shovelling and sifting, could be accommodated in preparation for the stolons. In addition they have worked hard at digging square areas around the bases of trees in the lawn to the west of Green one, using a template made by Chas McMahon, and digging those areas so that they now look very neat and tidy. They have also spent many hours cleaning out the equipment shed, which used to look as though it had about an inch or two of earth all over the floor, so that it now looks as though it has been scrubbed down to the bare concrete, which it almost was! In addition, all the motorised equipment has been cleaned, oiled and greased, which was necessary because on some of that equipment the wheels wouldn't even turn, but all such equipment is now in good repair.

In addition to Brian and Bruce, David Nolan has spent many hours working in the equipment shed on a variety of jobs requiring his special brand of skills, and he worked hard there last Saturday morning before skipping a team in the Championship Fours semifinal later that same morning. Further, Chas McMahon, Lynn Fenwick (who was in the Champ fours final that afternoon) and Ken Ritchie also did a great amount of work on Saturday morning, helping to dispose of soil from the nursery area and other sundry rubbish. To my mind the entire Club membership owes these gentlemen a huge vote of thanks for the work they have done on behalf of, and for, everybody in the Club.

When asked why he was working so hard at getting all the motorised equipment in good order, Brian replied "Well we're getting a new greenkeeper, so we may as well at least look as though we look after the greenkeeping equipment", and when asked why all the work on the garden/lawn area to the West of green one he said: "The Nationals are in Wellington next year, when we are going to have a top green, so if we are going to have a chance of hosting the Nationals we have to at least look the part. We don't want television throughout the country showing this area as it was!"

The Club is very lucky to have people of this calibre who are prepared to spend many hours of their own time doing jobs around the Club which many of us take for granted, without considering that we could have offered to give a hand ourselves.