BOWLS: Kiwi golden girls take world triples

The New Zealand trio of Patsy Jorgensen (Hawke's Bay), Sharon Sims (Manawatu) and skip Anne Lomas (Counties Manukau) have beaten England 18-12 to win the world triples title today.

The Kiwi team held a handy advantage over England throughout the final at the Women's World Champs, hosted by the Moama Bowling Club near the New South Wales-Victoria border in Australia. The same three also won the triples at last year's Asia Pacific Champs in Malaysia.

New Zealand surged 6-2 ahead after six ends and held a 14-11 lead with three ends remaining. Conceding a three and a one left England with an almost-insurmountable 18-11 deficit at the final end and only one shot could be pulled back off the ecstatic Kiwi combination.

New Zealand topped the section by one point from Wales, losing just once and drawing twice over 16 round robin games. The triple's full results are: beat Brazil 23-6, beat Singapore 27-7, beat Papua New Guinea 18-14, beat Namibia 31-7, beat Samoa 32-5, beat United States 26-10, drew with Wales 16-16, beat Spain 29-11, beat Scotland 18-15, drew with Zambia 19-19, beat Zimbabwe 25-8, beat Cook Islands 26-10, beat Fiji 26-14, beat Israel 15-10, lost to South Africa 18-23, beat Malaysia 26-9.

Winning gold is a major improvement on New Zealand's performance at the last Women's World Champs, held in England in 1996, when a fourth in the fours was the team's highest placing.

New Zealand's pair of Marlene Castle and Jan Khan were forced to settle for third in their 17-team section, missing out on a medal. Castle and Khan collected 21 points, two less than pool runners-up and bronze medallists England and three less than pool winners Scotland.

Khan now joins Jorgensen, Sims and Lomas in the fours, while Castle will contest the singles. Competition resumes tomorrow, with the finals of both to be held on Saturday, March 25.

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