The event was played at the Temuka green as they were top qualifiers, with post section on Saturday morning and semifinals and final in the afternoon.
In the semifinal Temuka cleaned out the Awamoa club 3-0. The other semifinal was between Kia Toa and West End, with West end winning 2-1.
In the final, last year’s Champions Temuka were up against West End. It was a beauty going down to the last game of pairs to see who would win the trophy. Dave Wood of Temuka had a surprise win against South Canterbury’s singles player Adrian Robins 31-26.
In the fours West End’s Garry Ford, Barrie Andrews, Scott Fisher and Nigel Mobberley were too classy for Temuka’s Marshall Stoddart, Dave Carey, Richard Rooney and Hans Winkelman and won with ease. Temuka got away to a 6-3 lead then West End scored 19 unanswered points. Temuka came back over the next eight ends, but the gap was too much, and it was a comfortable win to West End.
The pairs game looked likely to also be one-sided with West End’s Shayne Chisnall and Dave McNeill coming out of the blocks brilliantly, racing away to a 17-9 lead. Morton’s team then decided to play bowls and came back at them to take the lead 18-17. The 21st end was a cracker and game changer as Davey held a great shot but Chisnall with his last bowl pushed Davey’s bowl through for two; McNeill played three great bowls to score 5 shots as Morton missed with his which took the score to 22-18 to West End. Playing the last end, Temuka had closed the gap and with West End leading 23-22, Chisnall elected to play a full-length end and played two beauties trailing the kitty twice with two rippers. The head was not changed by Skip Morton and McNeill ducked for cover with his bowls to give West End the victory and become the 2025-26 champions.
Semifinals: West End v Kia Toa. Singles: Adrian Robins (West End) beat Trev Cloughley (Kia Toa). Pairs: Dave McNeill and Shayne Chisnall (West End) lost to Sean O’Neill and Mick Goodger (Kia Toa). Fours: Garry Ford, Barrie Andrews, Scott Fisher and Nigel Mobberley (West End) 29, Richie Kerr, Gareth Burgess, Paul Brohan and Jason Browning (Kia Toa) 9.
Temuka v Awamoa. Singles: Dave Wood (Temuka) 31, Dylan Edwards (Awamoa) 22. Pairs: Sam Morton and Merv Davey (Temuka) 26, Sonny Brown and Andy MacGregor (Awamoa) 20. Fours: Marshall Stoddart, Dave Carey, Richard Rooney and Hans Winkelman (Temuka) 23, Brett Kernsey, Bill Jenson, Bob Kingan and Dion Murphy (Awamoa) 17.
Final: West End v Temuka. Singles: Wood (Temuka) 31, Robins (West End) 26. Pairs: Morton (Temuka) 22, McNeill (West End) 25. Fours: Stoddart (Temuka) 17, Ford (West End) 27. — Richie Kerr
