Ashton bowled over early

Rob Ashton has lost the chance to defend at least one of the two bowls titles he won last year in the Trusts New Zealand Open when postsection play continued yesterday.

Ashton, now bowling in Auckland, made an early departure in the men’s singles, beaten 21-14 by former Black Jack international Richard Girvan.

The other highlight of early postsection play was the 21-20 win by a former national titleholder, Michael Galloway, from Auckland’s Hillsboro club, over Wellington’s Raymond Martin.

Martin’s Victoria Park club-mate Richard Corry joined Girvan and Galloway in the quarter-finals to be played at Blockhouse Bay tomorrow.

Others in the quarters are Tara- naki’s Allan Batley, Peter Puschmann (St Heliers), Joe Whitelaw (Otahuhu), Scott Cottrell (Waiheke) and David Eades (Orewa).

Ashton and his Carlton-Cornwall lead Barclay Lee, however, made tomorrow’s pair’s quarter-finals, which feature another seasoned pair, Graham Skellern and John Carruthers, and two relatively new North Harbour bowlers, Garry Banks and Walter Howden.

Aucklanders Karen de Jongh and Bev Crowe made the women’s pair semifinals, as did Northlanders Lauren Mills and Caroline Downs and the composite lineups of Lynley O’Callaghan and Bronwyn Stephens and Kristin Stampa and Tere Tuaiti.