The Bay champion of champions events continue to deliver their share of surprises and drama – this time in the men’s fours at the Matua club.

Te Puke’s Graham Caie, Noel McLeod, Graeme Walker and David Barber beat David Jones, Ross Herriot, Noel McCutcheon and Jack Giddy (Taupo) 13-12 on an extra end in the final – finishing off an extraordinary day with another comeback victory.

In the women’s final, a talented Whakatāne quartet of Venita Smith, Kate Robbie, Carol Lewis-Owen and Katarina Stepec were too strong for the Domain’s Gayle Melrose, Marilyn Constantine, Leoni Renata and Mary Campbell 15-7.

For Barber and Walker, it was their first centre success – as it was for skip Caie after 39 years of trying hard. McLeod collected his second centre championship.

“I’m absolutely chuffed; it’s taken a long time for the first centre title. I missed out in the singles final in 2004,” said Caie. “It was a very exciting day; we wanted to do well but we never expected anything like this.”

Caie and McLeod have a found a new lease of life by using a bowling arm. Used well, they can be lethal and are becoming a common sight in the pressure of competitive bowls.

It was the second time that two bowling arms featured in the final after unheralded Athol Kenyon and Peter Hagan (Matua) put up a strong fight in the champion of champions triples.

“It takes a good 12 months to get into using the bowling arm. There are different ways of lining up the bowl but you’ve got to get the swing right. I can drive better than I used to,” said Caie, who started using the bowling arm at the Omanu club eight years ago.

“I wouldn’t be playing now if it wasn’t for the arm; my back wouldn’t hold up.”

It was his deadly drawing that made the difference for Te Puke’s triumph.

Caie, McLeod, Walker and Barber were behind 4-7 after six ends and 5-10 after nine in the final against the Taupō combination and then won five of the last six ends.

Down 9-12 playing the last end, Caie drew a third shot and moved the jack a fraction to nearly pick up four match-winning counters.

On the extra end Giddy drew one close and Walker, outstanding for Te Puke, slid off the bowl for a toucher. And there it stayed for a famous victory.

Incredibly, the Te Puke four won their last three games by one shot – and nothing more impressive than their 15-14 win over Dan Dickison, Alvin Gardiner, Wayne Smith and Ron Crimlis in the semi-finals.

The Caie-skipped side were behind 5-14 after nine ends and won the last six ends with a four, two and four singles.

It was another comeback story in the quarter-finals. Caie led 12-10 after 11 ends against Ngongotahā’s Ashley Snookes, Jerekiah McLean, Michael Staite and Bryce Mackie, and then dropped a five to trail 12-15.

But Te Puke won the last three ends with two singles and a two to sneak ahead 16-15.

Jones, Herriot, Giddy and McCutcheon – the first three looking for their second victory after winning the triples – beat Brent Johnson, John Chelley, Mchael Chelley and Peter Newton (Whakatāne) 19-7 in the semi-finals.

In the quarter-finals, the Jones-skipped side overpowered Omokoroa’s Peter Goddard, Jeff Meekings, Varis Konstantinovs and Glen Proctor 19-3; Johnson beat Robbie Geerlings, Daniel Siddells, Steve Wallace and Lance Paterson 12-10; and Dickson overcame the strong Mount team of Steve Beel, Paul Anderson, Nathan Arlidge and Cliff Webber 16-13.

The Whakatāne side of Smith, Robbie, Lewis-Owen and Stepec put in an impressive performance in the women’s fours.

In the final against the Melrose-skipped combination, they jumped out to a 10-0 lead after five ends with a four, three and three singles.

It was a lead Whakatāne never relinquished – maintaining margins of 12-1 after seven ends, 12-6 after the 11th and 15-6 after the 13th.

Smith was in control of the semi-final against an ever-dangerous Ngongotaha combination of PK Tamehana, Kath Nepe, Sue Wells and Lilly McGregor, leading 8-3 after seven ends, 12-6 after the 10th and 14-7 after the 12th. But Tamehana won the last three ends to close the gap to 14-11.

The Whakatāne four was too strong for Matua’s Sue Taylor, Noelene Schmidt, Pauline Christie and Helen Wreaks in the quarter-finals, winning 21-7.

Melrose beat Diane Smith, Deidre Parkes, Bobbee Kemp and Noeline Sanderson (Tauranga South) 15-13 in the semi-final; and Mount’s Pat Andrews, Bridget Crawford, Lorraine McDonnell and Sally Ann Dench 15-12 in the quarter-finals.

Diane Smith beat Doris Page, Janice Hopkins, Pip Wilton and Kirste Byloo (Taupo) 14-12; and Tamehana overcame Anne Mahon, Dieu Mack, Christine Burns and Erica Mirando (Katikati) 15-6 in the other quarter-finals matches. The Caie-skipped team moves on to the national champion of champions final in Dunedin from July 24-26, and Smith’s Whakatāne side play their big final in Hastings from July 31-August 2.