Across Royal Oak and Remuera Bowling Clubs, top duos from Auckland’s clubs gathered to compete for the coveted Pairs title and a shot at national glory. This year saw the largest number of entries to date, with 30 Men’s and 23 Women’s Pairs engaging in a fierce knockout battle that led to two thrilling finals. Despite the sunny autumn weather, the covered facilities were planned to mirror the conditions of the upcoming national finals.
Men’s Pairs
In the Men’s event, Mt Eden’s Chris Lowe and Jordan King stood out. Fresh from their Centre Pairs title, they opened their campaign with strong wins over St Heliers and Papatoetoe HC. Their winning streak continued on Sunday morning with a 25-6 victory over Howick and a 19-6 win against Auckland BC’s Don Faifua and Neville Hill, securing their spot in the final.
Coming from the top half of the draw was New Lynn’s William Lee and Keith Ansell. Defeating Royal Oak’s Mike Galloway and Martin Dixon in the round of 32 Lee and Ansell proceeded to ride their wave to the Final, defeating Mt Wellington, Ellerslie, and Te Atatu along the way.
It was Mt Eden who took hold of the final match from the get-go. New Lynn was tenacious wooing the onlookers with some of their pinpoint accuracy, but were unable to impact the scoreline.
At the trophy presentation, King noted that the score didn’t reflect how hard they had to work for their victory of 21-12. Despite their loss, both Lee and Ansell were proud of their weekend achievements.
The season of stars continues, this Pairs title marked number 20 for Chris Lowe and the second gold star awarded in a matter of weeks. Congratulations Chris.
Women’s Pairs
The Women’s competition saw several one-sided matches, only for the victors to fall in subsequent rounds, highlighting the field’s competitive quality. Bridge Park’s Aggie Motu and Lesley McLinden faced tough challenges, scraping through the round of 32 and the round of 16 with single-shot victories.
On Sunday morning, they secured a more comfortable 20-8 win over New Lynn’s Trish Croot and Mere Ansell in the quarterfinals, followed by a 21-14 victory over the Farley sisters to earn their spot in the final.
Meanwhile, Blockhouse Bay’s Esther Eu and Penny Yam enjoyed a smoother path, defeating Mt Wellington 15-10 in the round of 16 and continuing with convincing wins over Epsom and Howick.
In the Final, Bridge Park dominated, keeping Blockhouse Bay at bay until the 5th end and maintaining a healthy margin to clinch the title, 20-8.
As Bowls Auckland looks forward to the upcoming Triples, familiar names from past events appear in the draw. However, smaller clubs are making their mark. It only takes up to five games to win a Champ of Champs title, and this past weekend has proved that victory is within reach of any determined team.
A heartfelt thank you to the host clubs, officials, and every bowler who participated, making this event a memorable success.
