Kiwis in the Overseas Final - 21st Century
By Tracy Holmes

Nathan Murray was never going to bother anyone at the 2K Overseas Final but he was there and NZ had a rep!

The venue was Poole on June 18 with the top 8 going to the Intercontinental Final at Holsted, Denmark on August 8. True to form, Murray was just making up the numbers but he could certainly wear a huge grin scoring two points and describing the meeting as "the experience of a lifetime."

Sam Ermolenko 15. Jason Lyons 13. Steve Johnston 13. Gary Havelock 13. Martin Dugard 9. David Howe 9. Paul Hurry 9. Sean Wilson 8. All qualify.

Shaun Tacey 7. Mark Lemon 6. Josh Larsen 5. Scott Nicholls 4. Craig Watson 3. Brent Werner 3. NATHAN MURRAY 2. Lee Richardson 0. Mike Faria Q ns. Reserve Justin Elkins 0.

Poole was also the venue for the 2001 Overseas Final on June 17. Again, the top 8 progressing to the Intercontinental Final at Vasterik, Sweden on August 11. No Kiwi on the grand parade sob sob!

Jason Lyons 15. Gary Havelock 13. Sam Ermolenko 11. Scott Nicholls 11. John Cook 9. Sean Wilson 9. Steve Johnston 9. Stuart Robson 8. All qualify.

Chris Slabon 7. Paul Hurry 7. Nigel Sadler 6. Billy Janniro 4. Brett Woodifield 4. Shane Parker 4. Paul Fry 3. Bobby Hedden 0. Martin Dugard Q ns.

And that was New Zealand's story in the Overseas Finals. From 2002, the qualifying system to the Grand Prix took on a whole new monsterous life of its own. So on that note, it's time for a cuppa. Haway kettle !

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This article was first published on 6th May 2018