Taranaki take the big prizes

It would have taken a flood on the green to stop old provincial scores being settled as the Arnott Shield and Duckett Trophy bowls titles were decided this weekend.

The shield is an annual tri-series featuring two senior teams each from Wanganui, Taranaki and Manawatu.

Their rivalry has over 50 years of history behind it still getting underway despite heavy rain on Saturday morning and cold conditions for most of the two days.

Shield games were contested at Wanganui East club, while the development squads chased the Duckett Trophy at Aramoho.

"We'll play unless the green floods," said Bowls Wanganui chairman and Wanganui 'blue' representative Phil Corney.

The teams of seven faced off in singles, doubles and fours games over the two days Taranaki looking to hold onto all four titles to keep the trophies.

"I'd say the Taranaki team will be close to what they had last year," said Corney.

Nonetheless, "we've got to be confident".

In the end, Taranaki kept the shield fairly comfortably with 29 points (+37), followed by Wanganui with 23 (-25) and Manawatu on 20 (-12).

The Duckett Trophy also saw Taranaki juniors victorious, with Manawatu second and Wanganui third. Despite the cold damp weather, the series serves as a warmup for the provincial sides ahead of the Auckland Inter-Centre championships in February.