The Kevin Eddy Memorial Trophy was hotly contested for the 40th time on Saturday, held in Canterbury’s fantastic facility on Kearneys Road. It has always been a highlight of the indoor bowling season, particularly in recent years with the final result coming down to the wire.
This year was another tight clash. Round one saw the North and South teams lock scores with four games apiece. Ashley Diamond gave the South an impressive 22-11 start in the men’s singles and Kylie Gould did the same with an 18-6 win in the women’s fours. Their first-round victories were joined by the Southern men’s pairs and fours. For the North, it was the women doing the damage. They grabbed the singles, pairs and triples, and the men’s triples followed suit.
The second round was almost identical to the first, but the men’s pairs was the difference. Paul Wright and Richard Caddy made a tremendous comeback against Gary Low and Daniel French to force a draw. This put the North just two points ahead going into the final round.
Seven of the eight medals had been decided - four for the North and three for the South – but the trophy was still up for grabs, so every game counted. Ashley ousted Paul Smith to boost the South, but this was counteracted by Sheree Holmes in the women’s singles and Fiona Keegan in the women’s pairs. Kylie stayed on track to add another two points to the South’s tally, as did Shelley Jacombs in the women’s triples for the North. Grant Rayner’s triples team were also tracking well to pick up a win, but Hayden Warnes plucked a four to settle with a draw.
The men’s pairs seemed to be under control for the North Island, but Wright and Caddy were determined to see it through to the end. Paul played a great last bowl on the 20th end to secure not only the game and the medal, but the overall win for the North.
All players gathered around for the men’s fours which had been a tight tussle all the way through. Simon Thomas created some excitement with his last bowl, but Matt Ellis’ team held on, bringing the final score to 28-20.
Congratulations to the North Island team on another successful year.
Thank you to The Pits Media who did a magnificent job covering the interisland test match. If you would like to catch some of the action, follow these three links:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1249525008740120&extid=BSGJFdZsYiSMzgrX
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=326924025034425&extid=faBkJbnqpyH6Z62D
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1437728143091265&extid=lJh7HWG35NcQZBDd
Round 1: North 8, South 8
Round 2: North 9, South 7
Round 3: North 11, South 5
Final result: North 28, South 20