Bowls Gisborne-East Coast team Gizzy Gold made their presence felt at the Bowls3Five National Interclub Finals held at Naenae Bowling Club, Wellington.

It was the first time a team from the Gisborne-East Coast centre had taken part in the finals.

Gizzy Gold — Paul Everett (skip), Geoff Pinn (director) and Karen Pinn (lead) — from Gisborne Bowling Club had four wins from eight matches, but it was not enough for them to qualify for post-section play.

The competition was held over three days, and 26 of the 27 Bowls New Zealand centres were represented.

Bowls3Five is a quickfire format where a match comprises two five-end sets with a powerplay and potentially a tie-breaker.

When Team Gizzy Gold faced Stoke Thunder, both teams won a set and Gizzy Gold beat Stoke Thunder in the tie-breaker.

In rounds 2 and 3, Gizzy Gold lost to Omarunui Aces and Te Atatu.

Gizzy Gold took Dunedin’s Taieri Tigers to a tie-breaker in Round 4. Taieri held shot until Karen Pinn moved the jack to take shot. Taieri then drew a shot and leaned against Pinn’s bowl to claim the shot and win the game.

On the second day, Gizzy Gold had a close game against Takaro Tui. It went to a tie-breaker, where Gizzy Gold convincingly beat Takaro Tui.

Gizzy Gold beat Plimmerton Tigers in Round 6 but lost to Milton Mavericks in the next round.

The Gisborne team’s last match was against Kia Toa Braves, who needed to win to qualify for post-section play.

Gizzy Gold comfortably won the first set and later won the tie-breaker.

While they did not qualify for post-section play, Gizzy Gold put in a respectable showing for the Gisborne East-Coast centre’s first appearance at the Bowls3Five national finals.