Wairarapa women’s open singles champion Rozanna Muriwai, left, with runner-up Janelle Frew. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
BOWLS
CHRIS COGDALE
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Martinborough’s Rozanna Muriwai won her first Wairarapa women’s open singles title, heading off a strong field at Featherston over the weekend.
Muriwai was one of eight bowlers to make Sunday’s post-section play after Saturday’s qualifying rounds.
She easily beat Carrington’s Annie Gough 21-3 in the quarterfinals. Making the playoffs was a significant achievement for Gough, who is 86 years old, and is reasonably new to bowls.
That set up a semifinal against Lansdowne’s Elva Simonsen, a past national champion at indoor bowls, who had beaten Masterton’s Teresa Hogg 21-11 in the quarterfinals.
Muriwai comfortably won 21-10 to book a spot in the final against Martinborough clubmate Janelle Frew.
Frew beat Robyn Schischka from Masterton 21-3 in the quarterfinals, and then Martinborough teammate and Wairarapa selector Tanya Wheeler 21-15 in the semis.
Muriwai held off Frew 21-18 to take championship honours.
Martinborough’s Makaia Campbell defeated Dianne Haswell 21-9 in the final of the Rampant Lion Plate Section.
In this weekend’s action, 10 men’s teams and eight women’s combinations will line up for the Rosewood Funeral Home open triples at Masterton Bowling Club.
The two-day tournament will be played on the club’s grass and artificial greens and will be the first time the latter have been used for an open championship.
Qualifying is tomorrow, with post-section on Sunday.
