Indoor bowls: Leyser's miracle shot key in success

John Leyser
John Leyser
Skip John Leyser held his nerve and played a miracle shot to catapult Cromwell into the national mixed fours final.

Cromwell was five down on the head before Leyser played the final bowl of the first round-robin game against Otago (Dunedin) in Alexandra on Saturday.

The experienced Green Island four included former New Zealand singles champion Daniel French and Lyn Rance, who have both won 19 Otago centre titles.

Leyser, who holds 13 Central Otago indoor bowls titles, was one down on the head. His accurate last bowl shifted the jack towards four Cromwell bowls and his own bowl moved in for the fifth shot.

The Cromwell four of Leyser, Kevin Hurley, Ev Bisset and Gloria Hurley drew with the Otago team of French, Brent Sinclair, Rance and Margaret Rout 8-8.

"We were chuffed to draw with Otago,'' Bisset, the secretary of the Central Otago Indoor Bowls Association, said.

"It gave us a lot of confidence.''

Cromwell went on to beat South Otago 10-2 and Southland 7-4 to become the first Central Otago team to reach the national mixed fours or mixed pairs finals.

The win against Southland was significant because its team included New Zealand representative Gary Low.

Kevin Hurley has won eight Central Otago titles and his wife, Gloria, 11. Bisset has just one Central Otago title in her 10 years playing indoor bowls.

"The win meant a lot to us. I'm still trying to get over the shock.''

It is a three-stage competition. Cromwell was the top Central Otago team and reached the national final in Lower Hutt on July 23 by winning the zone final.

The mixed pairs was won by the Southland team of Grant Fortune and Maree Swain who won their three games. They beat South Otago 6-3, Otago (Dunedin) 12-5 and Central Otago 13-7.

The Otago team of Daniel French and Stephanie Joyce finished runner-up when they beat South Otago 11-5 in the third round. They beat the Central Otago pair of Kevin and Gloria Hurley 8-4 in the first game.

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