WALKER CLAIMS YEAR-END NUMBER ONE

 

Dunedin `s Ken Walker assured himself of the year-end number one position on the New Zealand Professional Bowls Association rankings by winning his first two games in the Welsh International Open Singles qualifying tournament at the Westpac Bowls Stadium in Dunedin Saturday. Walker takes an unassailable lead even before he travels to the national World Indoor Pairs playoffs in Hamilton on August 30th.

 

The rest of the contenders for year-end number one fell by the wayside at the other qualifying venue Saturday, with Waikato ʼs Kevin Robinson, Kapiti-Coastʼs Ray Boffa and Auckland ʼs Neil Fisher all being tipped over at the Heretaunga Club in Hastings . Robinson wore down his opponent in a tough first round encounter with Manawatuʼs Terry Johnson but lost to Stephen Zino from Wellington in the second round. Boffa lost in the second round to 19-year old Alan Stewart from Thames Valley , who in turn beat Zino in a classy third round match.

 

Fisher was the first of three victims to the superb form of former international Phillip Skoglund from Manawatu who is looking on track to collect a third trip to the UK . Skoglund will be hard to beat on Sunday and faces Wellington ʼs Richard Corry in the quarterfinals. The second known quarterfinal pitches Stewart against Manawatuʼs Ian Meyer. The top half of the draw were still in action on Saturday evening at the time of print.

 

Auckland ʼs Dan Delaney was confirmed as the PBA rookie of the year with his contenders losing on Saturday, and fellow Aucklander Linda Ralph already had an unassailable lead as the top woman in the rankings for 2008.

 

Results from the NZ PBA Welsh International Open Singles direct entry tournaments (winners represent NZ PBA in Llanelli, Wales in February):

 

Heretaunga Club, Hastings: 1st round: Linda Ralph bt Frances Knight 8-5, 6-6; Shoota Ballinger bt Desire Lambert 10-3, 9-1; Richard Corry bt Dave van der Weele 10-4, 11-1; Reen Stratford bt George Ngametua 9-4, 9-8; Paul Sorensen bt Guy Taylor 8-3, 2-11, 2-1; Phillip Skoglund bt Neil Fisher 10-2, 7-6; Cliff Olliff bt Scott Roddick 7-8, 10-7, 2-0; Rob Ashton bt Chris Bryant 10-4, 14-1; Ray Boffa bt Craig Faulknor 8-2, 12-1; Alan Stewart bt Barry OʼBrien by default; Kevin Robinson bt Terry Johnson 8-5, 9-4; Stephen Zino bt Bruno Lourie by default; Ian Meyer bt Kristin Stampa 7-6, 8-3; Mike Isaacson bt Vickie Crystall 10-10, 11-6; Byron Brook bt Mike Tamati 10-10, 8-8, 2-0; Hayley May bt Glenn Stratford 3-13, 8-2, 2-0; Graham Skellern bt Harry Mills 7-5, 9-7; Kaaren Guilford bt Tony Terry 8-4, 11-4; Ken Smith bt Bruce Henderson 10-4, 8-5; Chris Lourie bt Dave Porteous 13-4, 11-1; Terry Curtis bt Brian Wilson by default; Pat OʼNeil bt Sue Murray 11-0, 4-10, 2-1; Steve Wood bt Warren McCarthy 13-2, 13-3; Laurie Guy bt Lou Newman 3-11, 10-2, 2-1; Peter Wester bt James Ballard 11-5, 13-4.

2nd round: Ballinger bt Ralph 10-2, 8-7; Corry bt R.Stratford 6-5, 12-8; Skoglund bt Sorensen 10-6, 10-3; Ashton bt Olliff 10-2, 5-10, 2-0; Stewart bt Boffa 7-6, 11-5; Zino bt Robinson 8-8, 9-4; Meyer bt Isaacson 7-3, 10-5; May bt Brook 10-6, 6-9, 2-1; Skellern bt Guilford 9-3, 11-9; Lourie bt Smith 9-4, 8-9, 2-0; Curtis v OʼNeil; Guy bt Wood 7-7, 10-5; Wester bt Val Mathews 12-0, 9-9; David Eades bt Barry Wakely 7-4, 8-9, 2-0; Steve Love bt Laurie Gordon 8-6, 6-5; Phil Bennett bt Peter Lambert 10-1, 7-2.

3rd round: Corry bt Ballinger 9-3, 10-6; Skoglund bt Ashton 7-8, 9-4, 2-1; Stewart bt Zino 7-5, 4-11, 2-0; Meyer bt May 8-3, 15-1; Skellern v C.Lourie; Curtis or OʼNeil v Guy; Wester v Eades; Love v Bennett.

 

Quarterfinals will commence at 8.30am Sunday morning.

 

Westpac Bowls Stadium, Dunedin: 1st round: Steve Jones bt Ross Brown by default; Andrew McLean bt Mark Cowan 6-5, 7-13, 2-1; Nick Buttar bt Cliff Morgan 7-6, 6-8, 2-0; Bob Crawford bt Brent Webster 10-7, 12-0; Ken Walker bt Mark Lister 3-8, 11-8, 2-1; Mark Griffiths bt Robert Gibson 9-2, 6-2; Bill Clements bt Malia Ellison 10-4, 10-5; Andrew McCallum bt Bevan Clark 10-6, 9-5; Evan Roberts bt Tony Cockerill 8-1, 9-1; Duane White bt Paul Girdler 8-6, 13-8; Terry Scott bt Shaun Scott by default; Doug Thomas bt Mike Bracegirdle 10-5, 13-4; Ross Munro bt Emrys Parry 13-2, 5-11, 2-0; Steve Wilson bt Max Grey 10-5, 4-9, 2-0; Graeme Hislop bt David Pile 8-3, 6-6; Andrew Kelly bt Dave Archer 9-5, 7-5; Mark Watt v Andrew MacGregor; Bill Hinton bt Alvin Gardiner 7-6, 3-13, 2-0; Robbie Thomson bt Carolyn Crawford 10-7, 12-0; Sue Hodges bt Geoff Wilson 9-4, 3-8, 2-0.

2nd round: McLean bt Jones by default; Buttar bt B.Crawford 9-3, 4-9, 2-0; Walker bt Griffiths 11-4, 11-3; Clements v McCallum; White bt Roberts 6-6, 10-1; T.Scott v Thomas; Munro v S.Wilson; Hislop v Kelly; Watt v Hinton; Thomson v Hodges; Jim Scott bt Peter Unkovich 11-5, 3-10, 2-0; Lou Robinson bt Steve Kannewischer 13-5, 6-10, 2-1; Colin Ward bt Thomas Malcolm by default; Shayne Sincock bt Beth Brown 13-8, 7-5; Peter Wilson bt Ross Stewart 13-7, 9-4; Miguel Rodriguez v Blair Barringer.

 

Round of 16 will commence at 9am Sunday.

 

Thanks to Richard Corry  NZ-PBA Chairman