HAT-TRICK FOR UNBEATEN SKOG; POTTER OFF TO WALES

Phil Skoglund capped off an amazing season by securing his third trip to the UK by winning the Hastings qualifying tournament for the Welsh International Open Singles at the weekend. Skoglund will represent the New Zealand Professional Bowls Association three times with visits to Scottish International Open Singles in November, World Indoor Singles in England in January, and then the Welsh rugby town of Llanelli in February. The Manawatu policeman remained unbeaten in singles play completing 18 match wins without defeat through the 2008 PBA season.

All three of Skoglund's matches on Sunday contained drawn sets against Wellington's Richard Corry, fellow Northern club and Manawatu rep-mate Ian Meyer in the semifinal, and Phil Bennett from the Waikato in the final. But each time, the other set was more decisive as the former international remained steady and focused throughout the day. Jamie Hill is the only other NZ PBA player to have qualified for three World Bowls Tour events in the one season.

Canterbury's Andrew ?Potter' Kelly earned his maiden World Bowls Tour trip winning the Dunedin qualifying tournament for the Welsh International Open Singles with a confident win over Dunedin's Peter Wilson in the final. The now-lanky 20 year old earned the nickname ?Potter' as a short 15 year old who played bowls like a little magician. Kelly began his bowls in North Otago but now plays out of the Elmwood club in Christchurch.

The highlight of the days play was a particularly high-calibre semifinal between Kelly and Dunedin's Nick Buttar. Buttar, who shifted to Dunedin from Canterbury for academic study, celebrated his 22nd birthday on Friday, by upsetting the NZ PBA's new number one player Ken Walker Sunday morning.

The PBA season in NZ culminates with the national playoffs for the World Indoor Pairs at the Frankton Railway Bowling Club in Hamilton on August 30th where Walker and his partner Paul Girdler will defend their title against the pairs champions from the other three regional qualifiers. The playoffs will be followed by the Rhind and Gardiner House of Travel sponsored pairs to cap off the year for PBA members.

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 O'Brien 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 O'Neil 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; O'Neil bt Curtis 9-9, 8-4; 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; C.Lourie bt Skellern 10-1, 6-9, 2-0; Guy bt O'Neil 10-4, 10-0; Eades bt Wester 2-11, 14-0, 2-1; Bennett bt Love 8-6, 5-8, 2-1.

Quarterfinals: Skoglund bt Corry 11-3, 8-8; Meyer bt Stewart 9-5, 8-2; Guy bt C.Lourie 7-6, 8-7; Bennett bt Eades 8-7, 10-5.

Semifinals: Phil Skoglund (Manawatu) bt Ian Meyer (Manawatu) 8-8, 7-6; Phil Bennett (Waikato) bt Laurie Guy (Wellington) 9-10, 8-3, 2-0.

Final: Phil Skoglund bt Phil Bennett 9-9, 9-4.

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 bt Andrew MacGregor 9-8, 11-6; 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; McCallum bt Clements 8-3, 9-7; White bt Roberts 6-6, 10-1; Thomas bt T.Scott 8-7, 9-5; Munro bt S.Wilson 13-2, 5-11, 2-0; Kelly bt Hislop 8-3, 6-6; Hinton bt Watt 3-8, 11-8, 2-1; Thomson bt Hodges 11-2, 8-4; 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; Blair Barringer bt Miguel Rodriguez 6-9, 10-7, 2-1.

3rd round: Buttar bt McLean 10-1, 5-10, 2-0; Walker bt McCallum 8-4, 9-1; White bt Thomas 9-6, 10-4; Kelly bt Munro 10-5, 5-11, 2-1; Thomson bt Hinton 7-4, 9-3; J.Scott bt Robinson 10-7, 8-8; Sincock bt Ward 6-3, 8-11, 2-1; P.Wilson bt Barringer 8-5, 5-9, 2-0.

Quarterfinals: (22 on Friday) Buttar bt Walker 6-6, 9-5; (20)Kelly bt White 9-7, 7-6; J.Scott bt Thomson 11-9, 7-4; P.Wilson bt Sincock 9-5, 14-5.

Semifinals: Andrew Kelly (Canterbury) bt Nick Buttar (Dunedin) 3-7, 8-3, 2-0; Peter Wilson (Dunedin) bt Jim Scott (Dunedin) 7-7, 10-1.

Final: Andrew Kelly bt Peter Wilson 10-5, 8-5.

Thanks to  Richard Corry