The decision for Bowls Wanganui to host all their centre championship finals on the same weekend at the same venue came up trumps with a real spectacle at the Victoria Bowling Club green.

Starting with the singles finals at 9am on Saturday and concluding with the fours yesterday afternoon, there was some fine bowls played in a good atmosphere, with spectators able to park up on either side of the green in comfort and with an open bar just behind them - either the Victoria clubrooms or the St Johns Club.

"The weekend went off like clockwork and enjoyed by a large crowd of onlookers," said spokesman Mike Morgan.

"There were some very close games with six of the 13 games could have gone either way.

"The Glenis Pidwell [Durie Hill, women's triples], went to the last end.

"The fours with Dianne Patterson [Wanganui BC] team, it was 15-15 at the last end and the lead changed three times, with a magic bowl from Pam Burgess to achieve a result that looked impossible, to win the game.

"The Sonia Wooding, Wendy Stuthridge [Wanganui BC, women's pairs], Anne Loveridge [Castlecliff] was well down and with a four on the second to last end, brought them to 19-19.

"Sonia managed to get two on the last end."

Lesley Bourke, bowling, would win the women's singles title against Liz Anderson, while also claiming the fours title.

Wanganui Bowling Club's Lesley Bourke managed to get two thirds of her triple crown with title victories in the women's singles and fours, while the triples title eluded her after Pidwell skipped team got home.

Clint Park achieved his double with championships in the men's singles and fours.

There was a lot of interest around the Mixed Pairs final on Saturday afternoon as it as a battle of current New Zealand coaches and multiple time world champions.

Aramoho's Peter Belliss and Reen Stratford ran out comfortable 15-9 winners over Mark Noble and Sharon Sims.

Results:Singles - Men: Clint Park (Wanganui) bt Chris Waterson (Castlecliff) 21-13; Women: Lesley Bourke (Wanganui) bt Elizabeth Anderson (Laird Park) 21-13.

Triples - Men: Aramoho (Ian Porteous, Keith Slight, Kevin Coombe) bt Gonville (Graeme Belk, John Reyland, Alan Paris) 17-10; Women: Durie Hill (Glenis Pidwell, Robyn Jacobs, Shirley Bates) bt Wanganui (Lesley Bourke, Sue Masters, Carol Morpeth) 17-14.

2-4-2 Mixed Pairs: Aramoho (Peter Belliss, Reen Stratford) bt Manawatu BC (Mark Noble, Sharon Sims) 15-9.

Fours - Men: Wanganui (Clint Park, Ray Park, Bernard Anderson, Alan Dickson) bt Aramoho (Ian Porteous, Kevin Coombe, John Belliss, Brendon Kenny) 19-4; Women: Wanganui (Dianne Patterson, Pam Burgess, Lesley Bourke, Karen Hunt) bt Wanganui East (Marilyn Constantine, Eileen Anderson, Marlene Foster, Judy Johnston) 16-15.

Pairs - Men: Aramoho (Lindsay Bourke, Gavin Scrivener) bt Aramoho (Peter & John Belliss) 17-13; Women: Wanganui (Sonia Wooding, Wendy Stuthridge) bt Castlecliff (Anne Loveridge, Kiwi Mathews) 21-19.

- Wanganui Chronicle

By Jared Smith