ON THE MATS

Gisborne teenagers Rachael Rickard and Kayla Trowell showed their class in reaching the semifinals at the New Zealand under-18 singles finals in Auckland.

The pair qualified strongly, winning all four of their games. Rickard won 16-5, 9-7, 20-3 and 13-10. Trowell won 16-7, 20-6 , 14-4 and 12-10 .

Twelve bowlers qualified out of the 24 starters.

Trowell defeated Waikato’s Ezra Scott 11-7 to reach the quarterfinals, while Rickard drew the bye into the last eight.

Trowell then defeated Manawatu’s Jorjye Popow 10-5 and Rickard beat Nelson’s Freddie Persico 10-8 to move into the last four.

That was where it ended for both — Trowell going down 10-9 and Rickard 9-7.

Trowell’s older  brother Nathan won the title last year, beating cousin Matthew Foster in the final.

The New Zealand u18 singles was followed by the national secondary schools singles and pairs, with Poverty Bay-East Coast bowlers prominent again.

Dylan Foster, representing Gisborne Boys’ High, and Trowell ( Lytton High) fought out an all PBEC final, with Foster defeating his cousin 10-5 to go one better than his silver in 2022.

Ten players qualified for the sudden-death playoffs.

Foster defeated South Otago High School’s Clayton Sheppard 16-5 to reach the quarter finals while Trowell drew the bye.

In the quarters, Foster was too good for Tauranga Boys’ College’s Matthew Spargo — winning 14-9  — and Trowell defeated Mount Maunganui College’s Michael Burke 11-5.

Foster then took care of Chloe Edwards (Tauranga Girls’ High 7-5) to set up an all-Gisborne final against Trowell, who knocked out Mt Maunganui College’s Hunter Reid 10-3.

Only nine teams took part in the pairs but that didn’t stop Foster — who won the title with Nathan Trowell last year — and Sean Haskins flying the Gisborne Boys’ High flag into the semifinals where they lost 11-6 to Tauranga Boys’ College pair Spargo and Jasper Lucas 6-11.

Haskins has only been playing for about a year and is a promising up-and-comer.

Dylan Foster was awarded player of the secondary schools tournament for the second year running  — a great honour .