Bowls: Winning bowl afterlife-saving role

Dennis Leeden
Dennis Leeden
Peter Wilson calls it a "quite eventful" weekend.

That could be one way of describing what goes on when you help save a life and then win a professional bowls tournament the next day.

Wilson claimed the Welsh Open singles qualifying title at Dunedin's Westpac Stadium yesterday, barely 24 hours after having a role in a dramatic incident involving another leading player.

Wakari bowler Dennis Leeden collapsed after having a heart attack during his first-round game against Bruce Walker in the Professional Bowls Association event.

Wilson, who had finished his game and was watching the action on the green, was among the bowlers who rushed to help.

"I saw Dennis in the ditch, basically. I actually thought he might have just rolled an ankle or something," Wilson said last night.

"But he wasn't being very responsive, so we realised something was wrong.

"I shot out for a look and tried to engage him in conversation. But he didn't say anything.

"We rolled him over and his lips were black and his face was going blue."

In a case of neat timing, Wilson had recently completed a first aid course.

While somebody else called an ambulance, he started co-ordinating the aid effort.

The stadium has an in-house defibrillation unit, so Leeden's shirt was cut off and he had two shocks administered.

By this time, St John officers had arrived.

Wilson was quick to deflect any praise for his role in attending to Leeden.

"It was very much a team of people. We all just want to see Dennis get well."

Some of the bowlers caught up with Leeden yesterday.

He was "very alert but had sore ribs, which I might have had something to do with", Wilson said.

Wilson said the shock of being involved with the medical incident kept him awake on Saturday night.

But maybe it helped keep him focused yesterday.

Wilson, who had also won the Scottish singles earlier this year, beat Canterbury's Alvin Gardiner 6-6, 14-6 in the Welsh Open final.

After the tied first set, Wilson grabbed a three on the first end, then rattled off a group of scores later in the set to take control.

He beat Ken Walker 8-6, 7-6 in a tight semifinal, while Gardiner beat Jim Scott 10-5, 10-2.

Wilson will join Jamie Hill and Stephen Zino, winners of the events in Pukekohe and Hastings, at the national PBA finals in Dunedin from September 3 to 5.

 

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