“The green is beautiful, but the breeze made it tricky. We just kept chipping away.” Martin’s side of Mike Carroll, Rod Leitch and Grant Wakefield were left disappointed in the final analysis. They had looked the better team at the mid-point. In fact, the margin at that stage could have been even larger, except for some crucial reduction and recovery shots from Dickison.
GLENN JEFFREY/Stuff
Fours skip Raymond Martin during the final. Martin’s team picked up a five on the fifth end to lead 9-4. But on the next Dickison drew two shots to a spilled jack for a count of three.
Playing an Auckland combination of Caroline Dubios and Denise West – who also needed the win to qualify – it was Dubios and West that prevailed 15-11. There were some anxious moments for some of the other contenders, but in the final wash up they survived. Included in that group were the champions of two seasons ago in the women’s pairs, Lisa Prideaux and Val Smith. Smith suffered a second loss on Wednesday morning – following one on Tuesday – going down 18-16 to Kirsty Hill. Hill is the sister of men’s pairs winner, Jamie. But with wins in the last two rounds were enough for Prideaux and Smith to make Thursday’s rounds.