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Snells Beach bowlers have been making an impression at home and away in recent weeks, first reviving a major inter-club fixture before winning a tough tournament against top North Harbour teams.
On February 26, Mahurangi East Bowling Club played host to 48 players from Mangawhai in what had been an annual event prior to covid.
After bacon sandwiches to start, more than 90 players took to the greens in mixed teams for what organisers said was a great day of bowls, with plenty of friendly competition, banter and laughter. Play was followed by afternoon tea, meat raffles and drinks, and the winning players were Graeme Bull, Jill Brierly and Tom Cumber.
Then on March 1 and 2, the club achieved what North Harbour Bowls called “a stunning result” in their Interclub Division 2 competition at Browns Bay.
The two-day comp featured teams from all over north Auckland, including Milford, Takapuna, Birkenhead, Hobsonville, Browns Bay, Mairangi Bay, Northcote, Orewa, Omaha, Beach Haven and Manly.
The Mahurangi East Red team of David Hickey, Mike Bartlett, Todd Robertson, Ian Thrush, Martin Hitchins, Phil Payne, Tom Gowie and Ross Ruddell pulled off an amazing coup, beating what North Harbour organisers said on paper seemed “an almost invincible” side from Birkenhead.
They won the final 4-1, despite securing only 46 shots compared to Birkenhead’s 51.
“The Birkenhead side pushed back to the runner-up position contained several who have been centre champions, and looked a line-up capable of beating many division one sides,” they commented after the Mahu East win.
Club president Pauline Hill said the result was awesome and a great accolade for the club, not least as there were five “juniors” in the team, who had been playing bowls for less than five years.
“Our team are so stoked with this win, as it puts Mahurangi East Bowls on the map as far as good players are concerned,” she said.
The Mahurangi East club also started its annual twilight bowls tournament on March 6, marking the occasion with a presentation to Brett Brown, who has been playing in the twilight event for 30 years at the club, which Hill said showed the comradeship that everyone got from the event.
