(Article by Chris Le Lievre)

Auckland`s Emma Le Lievre put the sword to the Australian under 18 side on Sunday afternoon as she steered New Zealand to Trans Tasman victory for the first time in history.

Le Lievre, Wellington`s Kirsten Griffin, Waikato`s Ryan Khan and debutant Monty Pawa from Kaitaia broke Australia`s eight year unbeaten streak in the under 18 Trans Tasman event, claiming the Perpetual Shield for the first time since its inception in 2002.

Australian pairs skip Lisa Phillips stood in disbelief as Le Lievre continued to draw shot after shot with pinpoint accuracy, even after the series win was a foregone conclusion.

New Zealand also triumphed in the under 25 series, with the women winning their test series and the men, including Auckland`s Greg Ruaporo and Chris Le Lievre chiming in to claim the Nominal Overall under 25 Trophy.

Emma Le Lievre was in outstanding form, not dropping a game in the pairs discipline with lead Griffin, dismantling Phillips and impressive Queenslander Carly Griffiths 23-18, 31-14 and 21-11 over the three days play.

The under 25 women overcame their devastating loss from last year`s Brisbane showdown, coming from a test behind to claim their series 2-1.

Losing the first test by only five shots differential, the women then shut out the Australians with two 3-1 victories on day`s 2 and 3.

“We`re absolutely over the moon.” Bowls New Zealand National Coach Dave Edwards said. “It`s a proud moment for the team and it`s a real feather in their caps.”

However it was heartbreak for the men`s under 25 side, who lost their series after claiming the day 1 spoils for the second year running, after an often fiery series loss in Brisbane last year.

“David Ferguson and Sean Baker stood up when it counted for Australia.” Chris Le Lievre admitted after the conclusion of play.

“But for me the star of the series was Greg (Ruaporo). He was quite simply outstanding for three days straight.”

Leading the triples and fours for New Zealand, Ruaporo`s opposite in both disciplines was Dylan Fisher, the much-touted future Australian star. Ruaporo consistently outplayed the Victorian teen, and even deep into the third day when Australia was on top and Fisher had hit his straps Ruaporo did not let up.

The under 25 men can take some solace in claiming the overall trophy and knowing they were only one Matt Gallop trail away from winning the test series on the second day, losing the test by 3 shots differential, but ultimately Australia were too good on the final day`s play.

RESULTS

Junior Trans Tasman Series
Birkenhead, Auckland, Feb 26-28

Under 25 Women

New Zealand (Misty Arnold, Mandy Boyd, Amy Brenton, Gemma Collett, Clare McCaul) beat

Australia (Janet Healey, Carla Odgers, Rebecca Quail, Sam Shannahan, Morgan Solman-Stewart)

2-1

Under 25 Men

Australia (Sean Baker, David Ferguson, Dylan Fisher, Carl Healey, Mat Pietersen) beat

New Zealand (Matt Gallop, Andrew Kelly, Chris Le Lievre, Greg Ruaporo, Mark Watt)

2-1

Nominal Overall Under 25 Trophy- Winners

New Zealand (Arnold, Boyd, Brenton, Collett, Gallop, Kelly, Le Lievre, McCaul, Ruaporo, Watt)

Under 18 Women

New Zealand (Kirsten Griffin, Emma Le Lievre) beat

Australia (Carly Griffiths, Lisa Phillips)

2-1

Under 18 Men

New Zealand (Ryan Khan, Monty Pawa) beat

Australia (Martin Miller, Aaron Teys)

2-1

Perpetual Overall Under 18 Trophy- Winners

New Zealand (Griffin, Khan, Le Lievre, Pawa)