Te Karaka bowlers Paddy Stewart and John Dawson completed a notable double when they added the Peace Shield Men’s Open Fours to their victory in this season’s champion of champions senior men’s pairs.
Sharing the Peace Shield honours with them were former New Zealand international David File and Bowls Gisborne-East Coast president Steve Goldsbury.
It was File’s 83rd centre title (he has since won his 84th, the senior men’s singles crown) and Goldsbury’s 45th, which earned him an eighth bar to his gold star.
Seven teams contested the Te Karaka Meat Traders-sponsored Peace Shield, traditionally one of the district’s most prestigious tournaments.
Two were from Gisborne Bowling Club — Boon McIlroy (skip), Charlie Ure (director), Maurice Taylor (two) and Hona Huriwai (lead), and Paul Everett (s), Tim Sherriff (d), Peter Ferris (2) and Chris Bunyan (l).
Two teams were from Kahutia — July Hoepo-Williams (s), Leighton Shanks (d), Alastair Macpherson (2) and Willy Murray (l), and Joe Wimutu (s), Steve Jenkins (d), Alan Parker (2) and Ray Young (l).
From Tolaga Bay were Vern Alder (s), Marcus Merrick (d), Ben Elkington (2) and Mark Walker (l); from Te Karaka were Stewart (s), File (d), Goldsbury (2) and Dawson (l); and from Poverty Bay were Les Whittington (s), Andrew Ball (d), Bruce Ball (2) and Jack Clark (l).
Alder beat beat Wimutu in the first round and then had another big win – by 19 shots – against Stewart’s team in the second round.
Hoepo-Williams then beat Alder by 11 shots. Alder then won by 14 shots against McIlroy, lost to Whittington and then won against Everett for a total of eight points and a third-place finish.
Hoepo-Williams had a big loss to Stewart in the first round then wins against Alder and Everett. Against clubmates skipped by Wimutu, Hoepo-Williams’s team won by 10 shots.
They drew the next game with Whittington but won the last game, against McIlroy. Hoepo-Williams (s), Shanks (d), Macpherson (2) and Murray (l) accumulated nine points to take the runners-up spot and the Allan G Slight Memorial Shield.
Overall victors and 2023 Peace Shield winners — with 10 points from five wins and one loss (to Alder’s Tolaga Bay team) — were Te Karaka Bay Bowling Club’s Stewart (s), File (d), Goldsbury (2) and Dawson (l).