Club champs set for battle with regional rivals | Manawatu-Wanganui Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Manawatu-Wanganui

Aramoho men's bowls captain Sean Johnson rates it a solid day's work ahead.

Wanganui East women's four skip Claire Ellen believes her team will do better in "it" than in their last two attempts.

"It" is the regional interclub bowls playoffs, being played against the champions of Wellington, Kapiti and Taranaki at the Naenae Bowling Club tomorrow.

Aramoho has had success before, winning a national title. Wanganui East has tried twice this past decade, at Hawera in 2004-5 and on their home green in 2006-7, both times finishing third in the regionals.

Interestingly, for a club which has appeared to have a settled line-up for some seasons, only Sadie Head and Claire Ellen have played both previous matches.

But Ellen, skipping the four this time, says that will help.

"Can we improve? Absolutely, of course we can. We've got a little bit more up here [taps forehead] now. There are a few old heads around."

There will need to be. Victoria (Wellington) is almost totally a representative side, with pairs skip Leigh Griffin in great form, singles player Lisa White one of the emerging players, and a four skipped by Kay Carr which is a mixture of tough experience and young skill.

Kapiti has Audrey Stevenson playing singles, a pair of some ability in Janet O'Dwyer and Eileen Jones and a handy four.

And New Plymouth has a tough pair and four and a relative unknown in single player Una Maha who must be pretty handy to keep that spot ahead of Val Fleming and Shirley Perrett, who are skipping the fours and pairs respectively.

Aramoho is without Kevin La Roche (son's wedding) and Dave Anderson (in Australia), but fours replacements Phil Corney and Dave Wickey have good experience.

 

 Singles player Garry Petersen beat two of Wellington opponent Wilton's top players in Kevin Rice and Roger Glendinning when Wanganui played Wellington.

 Wilton has Rice at singles, the very good Ben King skipping Glendinning in the pair and an unknown four. Kapiti's Paraparaumu Beach has handy veterans Rex Holmes and Ray Boffa, and West End (New Plymouth) has  good singles player  Craig Johns and tough competitors in Garry Lilley and Noel Probyn.

West End: Singles, Craig Johns. Pairs, Noel Probyn, David Bennett. Fours, Keith Sampson, John Garrud, Royce Hill, Gary Lilley.

Wanganui teams:

Wanganui East women: Singles, Shirley de Barr. Pairs, Marilyn Constantine (s), Sadie Head. Fours, Claire Ellen (s), Robin Evans, Eileen Anderson, Robin Firmin.

Aramoho men: Singles, Garry Petersen. Pairs, Sean Johnson (s), Selwyn Prescott. Fours, Keith Slight (s), Kevin Coombe, Phil Corney, Dave Wickey.