Ex-champ bows out of bowls
Three-time champion Ali Forsyth crashed out of the men’s singles at the first day of the New Zealand bowls championships in Dunedin on Friday.
Forsyth, formerly of Nelson and now Melbournebased, was expected to feature prominently, but lost his opening two games on the Andersons Bay green.
Forsyth fell first 21-13 to Keri Rupene (Taieri), a fours finalist the last time Dunedin hosted the championships, and became a lost cause when Wellington gold star holder Richard
Corry (Victoria) got the nod 21-20.
Forsyth’s pairs team-mate Gary
Lawson (Eastbourne), after an opening win, lost 21-5 to Rohan
Ware (Canterbury). But the maestro then qualified with two emphatic wins.
Shaun Scott (North East Valley), one of the main local hopes, was upended 21-14 in the opening round by Raymond Martin (Victoria), but
Scott won the rest to get through.
Peter Belliss (Aramoho), after a 21-18 loss to Darren Broome (Hokonui), sneaked past NZ development rep Sheldon Bagrie-Howley (Gore) in the next round. All three players advanced.
Defending champion Dean Elgar (West End) was among the early qualifiers, with none of his opponents getting to double figures.
Upsets were much less common in the women’s pairs, where the feature opening game was comfortably won by Val Smith and Jo Edwards, who remained unbeaten.
They beat last season’s winners, Ashleigh Jeffcoat and Dale Rayner, 25-13.