6 February 2009

Anyone trying to keep up with Feilding homemaker Lisa McDonald in a walking race will have to be very quick after her great 5km time at the 20th ACC New Zealand Masters Games in Wanganui.

McDonald, 44, formerly from Taihape, who was also fastest woman in the 10km walk last weekend, broke 29min for the first time over 5km with 28m 56s to head home the entire field of 344 walkers, male and female.

She was third quickest over 10km but over the shorter distance gained her revenge, by 19sec over Ian Bailey (PN – 56) to head home the 82 men and 262 women walkers.

Fastest 5km walkers were McDonald (28.56), Bailey (29.15) and Robyn Bailey (Napier – 53) with 29.18, the only competitors to break 30min, with Wanganui’s Gai-Marie Smart (46) taking exactly half an hour for the walk.

In the 5km road run the quickest men were Trevor Ogilvie (Rotorua – 60) in 18m 14s, Philip Kirkwood (Wanganui – 46) 19.03 and Queenslander Ross Nicholls (44) 19.06

Sally Gibbs (Katikati – 45) added a 5km fastest women’s time (20.02) to her quickest 10km mark from last weekend.

Christine Voelkerling (Hunterville – 43) was next on 20.31 and Wilma Minnee (PN -45) ran 20.53.

Eleven 5km starters retained titles from 2007, the last times the Games were held in Wanganui, and 19 competitors have collected 5km-10km gold medal doubles this year.

Versatile Robert McPherson (Te Puke – 67) was the sole 2007 winner to retain his ridge running title, clocking 21min 8sec in the very hot conditions, 33sec slower than in 2007.

Fastest time of 18.04 came from local 43-year-old Jules Le Leivre, 45sec quicker than Dave Mason (Wellington - 59).

Christine Voelkerling was quickest woman in 19.24, 10sec ahead of Gai-Marie Smart (Wanganui – 46).

Anyone playing darts in Taihape beware of taking on Brian and Cathy Jacobsen who were in winning mixed pairs teams on the opening day of darts.

Brian (56) and Wanganui’s Sue Rohloff (55) were in top form to retain their 55 and over title with Laurie Jarman (Wanganui – 72) runner-up for a second Games, this time with wife Margaret (72).

Cathy Jacobsen (44) teamed up with Todd Smith (PN – 36) to win the 35-54 age grade title ahead of Steve Gooch (NP – 41) and Kim Peeti (Feilding – 40).

Another couple to avoid are Wanganui’s 69-year-olds Lance and Francie Oliphant who retained their euchre pairs title thanks to a second round score of 23 to aggregate 42 pts.

They edged out first round local leaders Humphrey (46) and Shaun O’Leary (42), who faded with a 16 in the second round after a fine opening 25 pts, by a single point.

Robyn Sherlock (Feilding - 63) and William Eales (Wanganui – 74) also finished on 41 pts for third place.

Bill Schrader (Hawera – 62) and Huberdina Hagenaars (Wanganui – 78) won the Rotterdam Rules klaverjas titles.

Taihape’s Barbara McCarthy (75) was four shots over her winning score of two years ago with 103 but retained her nine-hole (two rounds) golf age grade gross title at Tawhero.

Best women’s gross score of 95 went to Ngaire Hunter (Levin – 51) with 95.

Oldest woman Jean Hickey (Wanganui – 85), on her home course, won her division by 22 shots.

Susan Manderson (Waikanae – 61) carded the best nett round of 66.

Lowest men’s gross was 85 from Peter Yortt (Marton – 70) with a sizzling nett 58 returned by another Martonian, John Templer (69), who won his title by 14 shots.

Marton’s Maxine Rowatt has emerged the queen of the bowling greens after winning a silver medal in the mixed pairs to go with golds in the women’s and mixed fours.

Rowatt, aged 64, teamed up with her husband Colin (63) – both in the winning mixed fours for two Games – for second place in the mixed pairs behind the unbeaten Aramoho combination of Doug Weal (68) and Loralie Hawkes (60).

The Coromandel pair of Jack (68) and Elaine Galbraith (66) were also unbeaten in their grade for gold medals.

Taihape’s Bruce Fannin (63) and Diane McCarthy (62) and Waverley’s Joe Smith (75) and Pam Hurndell (63) went through with four straight wins for titles in the other mixed pairs competition.

Michelle Fremaux (PN - 42) on a Duell 1200, was the overall winner of the motor cycle poker card ride, heading off Kevin Jordan (NP – 54) and John Channon (Wanganui – 50).

Michelle Fremaux (PN – 42) won the motor cycle poker –cards overall title from Kevin Jordan (NP -54) nd John Channon (Wanganui – 54). John Hina (Auckland – 61), Mike Marshall (Wanganui – 51), Brian Ward (NP – 48) and Angela Tekl (Wanganui – 48) claimed the snooker singles titles with Winston Woofindin (Whangamata – 64) and Don Trigger (NP – 60) the pairs champions.

In the twilight 400 (darts, smallbore rifle shooting, putt putt golf and golf croquet) best scores came from David Currie (Taupo – 57) 293.8 and Peter Ellery (Wanganui – 69), a 2007 winner, with 256.4.

Top women were locals Tracy Dillon (40) 246.7 and Debbie Cain (39), who was the first of 6800 competitors to register for the Games, 241.8.