Corbett gains 10th NZ title with triples win

Neil Fisher, of Browns Bay, in action in the post-section of the triples at the New Zealand Club...
Neil Fisher, of Browns Bay, in action in the post-section of the triples at the New Zealand Club Championships at the Taieri Bowling Club yesterday. Fisher's team missed out on the title after deciding to catch a plane back to Auckland instead of fronting up for the final. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH
The great Millie Khan played an important role in Bev Corbett's bowls and she recalled the influence when she won her 10th New Zealand title in Dunedin yesterday.

Corbett skipped the winning Hinuera team from Waikato that won the New Zealand Club Championship women's triples with Debbie White and Jocelyn Holten.

They dominated the Manawatu team of Mere Fryer, Georgie Kahui Rogers and Bev Budd (Terrace End) from the start and won 21-4.

Corbett (70), a Waikato dairy farmer, won her first title in Dunedin in 1997 in a four skipped by Khan, who was one of New Zealand's best international female bowlers.

``Millie was a great inspiration and encouraged us a lot,'' Corbett recalled. ``She was so relaxed and just took everything in her stride.''

Corbett made her mark on the eighth and ninth ends to put the game out of reach of Terrace End.

She added bonus shots on both ends to extend the lead to 16-3 and ended the game with a toucher on the final end.

The early pace was made by White, a Matamata banker, with her accurate draw bowls. She was always close to the jack, and made two touchers while gaining her third national title.

It was the first individual national title for Holten, who has been a member of a winning interclub sevens team.

Terrace End lead Bev Budd (87) showed she is not too old for top-flight bowls by gaining two touchers with her lead bowls.

The Northland team of David Eades, Kevin Robinson, and Wayne Wrack (Maungaturoto) won the men's title by default when the Browns Bay team of Neil Fisher, John Walker and Colin Rogan decided to catch a plane back to Auckland instead of fronting up for the final.

It did not detract from the merit of Maungaturoto's win because they dominated the semifinal when they beat Paritutu (Taranaki) 20-6.

It was especially memorable for Wrack (70), a retired greenkeeper, who won his first national title after 41 years of bowls.

It was also the first national title by a men's team in the 91-year history of the Northland Bowling Centre.

``It feels brilliant,'' Wrack said. ``I've finished runner-up once before but this was special.''

It was the third national title for Eades, who won his other titles when he lived in Nelson.

Two Otago teams made the quarterfinals. The Clyde men's team of Howard O'Donnell, Conor Muir and John Carvell was beaten 21-6 by Paritutu's Darren Goodin, Midge Shaw and Peter Goodin.

The Taieri women's team of Jude Robertson, Jean Young and Beth Brown lost to Terrace End 17-6.

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