PBA News in June:
Wellington’s Stephen Zino became the first qualifier for this year’s New Zealand Professional Bowls Association’s Finals Weekend winning the Scottish International Open Singles qualifying event at the Heretaunga Club in Hastings. Zino was immaculate on his draw play throughout the day and never dropped a set winning at least one of the sets comfortably in every match. His win in the final over Hawke’s Bay’s Natarsha Grimshaw 7-7, 9-2 gives Zino a second appearance at Finals Weekend having previously advanced to that stage in 2010.
Laurie Guy and Richard Corry won the Queen’s Birthday Weekend Ranking Pairs event in Hastings for the second year running beating Jim Bentley and Byron Brook (Hawke’s Bay) in the final.
Rich then won the World Indoor Singles qualifier two weeks later beating Tanya Wheeler (Petone Central) in the final returning to Finals Weekend for the first time since 2005. The finals this year are in Invercargill on September 6-8th.
Laurie has climbed to 5th, and Rich 8th in the NZ PBA Race to Oz rankings from which the top four ranked players at the end of the season will join Murray Glassey at East Cessnock in New South Wales to play the Australian PBA in July 2014.
The next PBA events are on August 10th and 11th at the Heretaunga Club.