Over two days of sunshine the 48th year of the Mairangi Bay Founders Tournament was completed on 14/15 February.
Once again, the format was any combination triples and a strong team of 23 teams competed. Unfortunately, a withdrawal from the original entries created a bye which despite efforts from various sources was unable to be filled.
After the first day the top eight qualifiers were decided after some hard-fought games and the skips of those teams were Bart Robertson, Grant Keats, Ray Glogoski, Neil Fisher, Steve Hoeft, Garry Banks, Geraldine Wight and Norm Scott-Morrison.
On day these teams played off on a winner v winner format resulting in a final win and the Greenwich Gardens Founders Triples title going to the team of Bart Robertson, Bruce McClintock and Ian Hardy. Runners-up for the second year in a row was the team of Grant Keats, Phil Chisholm and Evan Thomas.
The remaining 15 teams played off for the Plate event with the eventual winner being the team of Murray Radojkovich, Brian Nolan and Steve McGregor who were the only 4 winners on the second day. Interestingly no team over the two days went through unbeaten which shows the strength of the teams who competed.
Second place in the Plate was the team of Ian Coombe, John Valentine and Steve Cox with 3 ½ wins and third was the team of Allan Langley, John Whiteford and Gordon Jenkins with 3 wins and 31 ends being one more end than the fourth placed team of Megan Ratcliffe, Keiko Kurohara and Jo Staines.
Mairangi Bay Bowling Club is indebted to Greenwich Gardens for their continuing support and generous sponsorship which enables the event to attract the level of players we had and for the event to retain its high profile in our event calendar.
Many thanks to all the club members and others who helped make the tournament a success in assisting in the set up for both days, selling raffles, bar staff, Linda Valentine for morning tea on the first day and Jo Baxter and her team for the tasty and appreciated nibbles at the end of the tournament. As you will appreciate these events cannot succeed without this support.
Report by Allan Langley