WALKER’S QUALIFIER WIN NOT ENOUGH TO MAINTAIN TOP FOUR RANKING Despite winning the Dunedin Scottish International Open Singles Qualifier two weeks ago, Ken Walker would lose his spot on the 2015 Trans Tasman NZ PBA team to Aidan Lusby according to the latest Race to Oz rankings released this week. Lusby won the other singles event played at the Westpac Stadium to jump three places. Duane White remains the NZ PBA number one ranked player, while Southland’s Craig Merrilees and Waikato’s Wayne Stewart would hold their places in the team. Wellington’s Rob Ashton is lurking with intent as the 5th ranked player to unseat the top four. Thirteenth ranked Murray Glassey is an automatic invite into the team as the reigning Trans Tasman individual champion. Three women are in the top twenty ranked NZ PBA players with Hawke’s Bay’s Natarsha Grimshaw at 7th, Southland’s Maree Jones at 15th and the Scottish Singles Qualifier winner from Invercargill Bronwyn Stevens climbing 48 places to 20th. Twenty-year old Elliot Mason (Dunedin) and Nineteen-year old Dean Drummond (Hawke’s Bay) look to have already made the race for Best Rookie of the year a two horse race making a rapid climb into the thirties which is remarkable after one weekend considering there are 157 players with a ranking. This weekend sees competition in Auckland, Hamilton, Hastings, Dunedin and Invercargill including the Qualifiers for the Potter’s Leisure Resort World Indoor Singles. Entries and memberships are still being accepted at the northern two venues. The early feature matches further south include Ken Smith (Hawkes Bay) v Steve Love (Manawatu) on Sunday morning in Hastings; NZ number one Duane White (Dunedin) v Bill Hinton (Dunedin) on Saturday afternoon in Dunedin with Hinton winning their only previous PBA singles encounter; and NZ number two Craig Merrilees (Southland) plays his pairs partner Sonny Tautari (Southland). NZ PBA Race to Oz Rankings after Queen’s Birthday Weekend: (2013) 2014 Player (Centre) Points (1) 1 Duane White (Dunedin) 234 (2) 2 Craig Merrilees (Southland) 202 (4) 3 Wayne Stewart (Waikato) 185 (7) 4 Aidan Lusby (Dunedin) 182 (5) 5 Rob Ashton (Wellington) 173 (3) 6 Ken Walker (Dunedin) 162 (19=) 7= Natarsha Grimshaw (Hawkes Bay) 153 (16) 7= Bart Robertson (North Harbour) 153 (15) 9 Ross Munro (Dunedin) 152 (19=) 10 Bryan Hartstonge (Southland) 148 (21) 11 Doug Thomas (Dunedin) 146 (26=) 12 Russell Dawe (Dunedin) 142 (6) 13 Murray Glassey (Hawkes Bay) 141 (35) 14 Lindsay Thomas (Central Otago) 135 (11) 15 Maree Jones (Southland) 132 (17) 16 Sonny Tautari (Southland) 130 (23=) 17 Bruce Ross (Southland) 128 (10) 18= Laurie Guy (Wellington) 120 (40) 18= Terry Johnson (Manawatu) 120 (18) 20= Steve Love (Manawatu) 119 (68=) 20= Bronwyn Stevens (Southland) 119 Selected others: (-) 34 Elliot Mason (Dunedin) 100 (-) 38 Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) 90 Draws for this weekend’s NZ Professional Bowls Association events: (Ranking) Players [PBA Singles Career head-to-head record] Pukekohe Cosmopolitan Club, Auckland Draws for Ranking Singles on Saturday, and World Indoor Singles Qualifier on Sunday, to be done on the day. Entries and memberships still welcome. Frankton Railway Bowling Club, Hamilton Draws for Ranking Singles on Saturday, and World Indoor Singles Qualifier on Sunday, to be done on the day. Entries and memberships still welcome. Heretaunga Club, Hastings Saturday 14th June – Ranking Singles: 1st round: (75)Tilly Carlson v (18=)Terry Johnson; (128=)Joe Johansen v (115=)Neil Barron; (148=)Jayden Ravji v (115=)Tony Terry [1-0 Terry]; (148=)Nicole Toomey v (60=)Mike Isaacson; (148=)Tim Toomey v (13)Murray Glassey; (62)Dave Porteous v (31)Ken Smith [1-0 Smith]; (128=)Richard Rangi v (128=)Mike Andrews; (45)Scott Roddick v (128=)Penny Gibson; (98=)Paul Sorensen v (77=)Mike Tamati [1-0 Sorensen]; (51)John Young v (77=)Gavin Keighley; (18=)Laurie Guy v (20=)Steve Love [1-1]; (128=)Lisa Carlson v (50)Byron Brook; (57=)Mike Le Geyt v (38)Dean Drummond; (128=)Paul Viggers v (47=)Kaaren Guilford. 2nd round: (36)Tanya Wheeler v (128=)Ricky Clearwater. Sunday 15th June – World Indoor Singles Qualifier: 1st round: (148=)Nicole Toomey v (18=)Laurie Guy; (31)Ken Smith v (20=)Steve Love [1-0 Smith]; (128=)Penny Gibson v (50)Byron Brook; (47=)Kaaren Guilford v (128=)Ricky Clearwater [1-0 Guilford]; (77=)Mike Tamati v (36)Tanya Wheeler; (45)Scott Roddick v (128=)Joe Johansen; (128=)Mike Andrews v (115=)Tony Terry; (60=)Mike Isaacson v (148=)Jayden Ravji; (98=)Paul Sorensen v (18=)Terry Johnson; (13)Murray Glassey v (51)John Young [3-0 Glassey]; (128=)Paul Viggers v (128=)Lisa Carlson; (75)Tilly Carlson v (62)Dave Porteous [1-0 Carlson]; (128=)Richard Rangi v (77=)Gavin Keighley; (148=)Tim Toomey v (57=)Mike Le Geyt. 2nd round: (115=)Neil Barron v (38)Dean Drummond. Westpac Bowls Stadium, Dunedin Friday 13th June – House of Travel Ranking Pairs: 1st round - 6pm: Martin Abel & Liz Hayton v Ricci Berrichi & Brian Malcolm; Dan O’Leary & Mike Cranstoun v Peter Bell & Carrie-Jane Hargrave; Aidan Lusby & Phil Austin v Wally Shaw & Paul Nicholls; Conor Muir & Keanu Darby v Lou Robinson & Ivan Webber; Russell Dawe & Trish Marr v Duane White & Kieran Fleury. 2nd round - 6pm: Ken Walker & Elliot Mason v Stephen Hughes & Kerri Rupene; Marty Kreft & Adam Wyber v Dave Hodges & Ross Munro; Mike Fitzgerald & Guy Robinson v John Cross & Ross Thomson. 2nd round - 7.15pm: Bob McAuley & Andy McLean v winner Dawe/Marr or White/Fleury; Shayne Sincock & Ray Webster v Jacqui Peterson & Dale Bourke; Doug Thomas & Craig Wyber v Bill Hinton & Paul King. Saturday 14th June – World Indoor Singles Qualifier: 1st round – 12.15pm: (6)Ken Walker v (121=)Adam Wyber; (46)Ross Thomson v (59)Marty Kreft; (12)Russell Dawe v (128=)Paul Nicholls; (70=)Bob McAuley v (128=)Guy Robinson; (158=)Ray Webster v (157)Wally Shaw; (158=)Keanu Darby v (128=)Brian Malcolm; (1)Duane White v (87=)Bill Hinton [1-0 Hinton]; (105=)Ricci Berrichi v (121=)Mike Fitzgerald. 1st round – 1.45pm: (87=)Conor Muir v (29)Jacqui Peterson; (4)Aidan Lusby v (63)Peter Bell [1-0 Lusby]. 2nd round – 1.45pm: (77=)Dave Hodges v (86)Shayne Sincock; (128=)Liz Hayton v (70=)Lou Robinson. 2nd round – 3.30pm: (70=)Trish Marr v (34)Elliot Mason; (87=)Paul King v (87=)Craig Wyber [1-0 Wyber]; (11)Doug Thomas v (121=)Dale Bourke; (105=)Ivan Webber v (158=)Carrie-Jane Hargrave. Sunday 15th June – World Indoor Singles Qualifier: 2nd round – 8.30am: (121=)Kerri Rupene v (47=)John Cross; (54=)Stephen Hughes v (100=)Mike Cranstoun; (9)Ross Munro v (70=)Dan O’Leary; (24=)Andy McLean v (87=)Keiran Fleury; (87=)Phil Austin v (87=)Martin Abel. Waverley Bowling Club, Invercargill Saturday 14th June – Ranking Singles: 1st round – 8.30am: (14)Lindsay Thomas v (128=)Bryan Coyle [1-0 Coyle]; (16)Sonny Tautari v (42)Brent Thomson; (39)Sheldon Bagrie-Howley v (22=)Roger Stevens [1-0 Bagrie-Howley]; (148=)Hugh Andrews v (10)Brian Hartstonge; (35)Aaron Tribe v (148=)Geoff Jones; (17)Bruce Ross v (128=)Wayne Stewart [2-0 Stewart]; (121=)Brent Munro v (115=)Jason Heffer; (2)Craig Merrilees v (128=)Barry Stewart. 2nd round – 8.30am: (27)Glenn Milne v (68=)Phil Cross; (128=)Lynda Milne v (20=)Bronwyn Stevens; (32=)Alistair Erskine v (15)Maree Jones [1-0 Jones]; (22=)Shane Elliott v (24=)Russell Jones [2-0 Jones]. Sunday 15th June – World Indoor Singles Qualifier: 1st round – 8.30am: (148=)Geoff Jones v (20=)Bronwyn Stevens; (115=)Jason Heffer v (10)Brian Hartstonge; (121=)Brent Munro v (39)Sheldon Bagrie-Howley; (27)Glenn Milne v (22=)Roger Stevens; (24=)Russell Jones v (128=)Bryan Coyle; (14)Lindsay Thomas v (42)Brent Thomson [1-0 Thomas]. 2nd round – 8.30am: (128=)Barry Stewart v (15)Maree Jones; (148=)Hugh Andrews v (17)Bruce Ross; (35)Aaron Tribe v (22=)Shane Elliott [2-0 Elliott]; (2)Craig Merrilees v (16)Sonny Tautari [2-0 Merrilees]; (32=)Alistair Erskine v (128=)Wayne Stewart.
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:24:27 +0000