There are loads of exciting bowls taking place over the next few days - World Bowls, Bowls NZ, Bowls Auckland, and of course, our clubs have options aplenty! 

We hope wherever you are, you can get out amongst it all - whether it's to cheer on & support rink-side or follow some live action online, there's definitely lots of action to keep all of you bowls enthusiasts interested.

Let's start this Friday with a bunch of shout-outs and good lucks!

National Interclub 7s: 13-16 April
Auckland Bowling Club and St Heliers are in Wellington to represent their club and the mighty Auckland region for this season's National Interclub 7s.

Digicel Oceania Challenge: 13-17 April
Kia ora, Bula Vinaka, Kia orana, Talofa, Mālō ni, Malo e lelei - just a snippet of the nine Oceania nations welcomed yesterday at the Digicel Oceania Challenge at Blockhouse Bay Bowls.

1-5 Year Battle of the Manukau: 16 April
Upcoming talent from Auckland and Counties Manukau in a head-to-head challenge this Sunday at Te Atatu Peninsula.

Auckland Social Bowls3Final: 16 April
The best of the best our club's Social Bowls3Five teams - bring it on Rocky Nook Bowls  :)

1-5 Year squad announced for Battle of the Manukau

It's a head-to-head fixture against Counties Manukau which is bound to be an exciting competition with each side fielding 14 bowlers – three Fours teams, four Triples teams, and six Pairs teams.

Congratulations and good luck to all selected.

NZ Blackjacks announced for World Champs

A fresh international chapter awaits the New Zealand Blackjacks, as selectors Peter Belliss and Sharon Sims opt for a changing of the guard for the upcoming World Bowls Championships in August. 

Following a largely successful Multi-Nations campaign on the Gold Coast, Belliss and Sims have rewarded good performances and made some tough decisions in arriving at their five men and five women to contest the sports’ pinnacle.

Auckland Centre Finals round up

Auckland Centre Finals on 1-2 April 2023, was an excellent opportunity for players to come together to compete against peers as the championship events are rounded out. The advantage of having several disciplines play at the same venue, on the same day is that competitors get to play in front of supporters, club members, whānau, and friends – and to a broader audience for live-streamed matches.

Day One was earmarked to complete the qualifying rounds of the Men’s and Women’s Pairs, both played undercover at New Lynn and Remuera, respectively and Day Two on Sunday, 2 April at Remuera Bowls had a full schedule of play.

Return match for Auckland vs Counties

The return match between Auckland vs Counties Manukau 6-10 Year players was held at Remuera Bowling Club on Wednesday evening, 29 March. There were just over 20 players from each side, who were keen to take to the green to show their skills against each other. 

The teams were split into Triples teams to start, and then the second half of the evening was mixed Triples. There were some amazing bowls played throughout the evening and everyone taking part enjoyed the play and the camaraderie between the two Centres. The evening was followed by a light dinner in the lounge. Auckland won on this particular occasion.  

Hopefully, we can keep this competition running for the players in this bracket - it is a great experience for all concerned. 

Thanks to Counties Manukau for travelling through the rush hour traffic to take part and thanks also to Peter Bennett for his work during our match and for allowing us to use Remuera Bowls for the evening.

-- Alison Rennie

St Andrews Village Classic at Glendowie

Whew! The weather stayed beautifully fine and we had two excellent days of hard-fought bowls in GBC’s annual feature tournament on 29 & 30 March. 18 teams from a number of clubs went to work to capture the top honour… and of course some prize money as well…and in the end it was congratulations to a composite team of Colin O'Brien (Glendowie), John Morris (Carlton Cornwall) Dave McFadzen (Ellerslie) and Wally Marsic (Carlton Cornwall) - as they appear in the last photo below with Judy Armour from St Andrew’s Village.

Sincere thanks as always to our long-standing and hugely valued partner St Andrew’s Village for their sponsorship of this tournament and fantastic ongoing support of the club.

And a massive thank you to tournament organizer Murray Grigor and the team of volunteers for all the hours that were put in to make the St Andrew’s Village Classic the annual success that it is.

‘Til next year!

-- John Butterworth

Open Triples at St Heliers

Tuesday 4, April Tuesday was our penultimate Open Triples for this season. 24 teams entered this tournament sponsored by Morrisons Funerals.

What a day it was, just about perfect for bowls - a “Goldilocks Day” with blue skies, no wind and not too hot. St Heliers fielding 16 teams, thank you to our members for their support.

Trish Williamson representing Morrisons spoke with interesting good humour, mentioned Morrisons has been in business in Auckland for just over 100 years and is "ever mindful of the need to keep our client families’ needs uppermost".  Morrisons are long and faithful supporters of St Heliers Bowling Club. 

First place with 4 wins 22 ends & 40 points William Whitburn, Kaye Wilson & Bill Crisp, pictured with Trish from Morrisons (pictured below).

Second place with 4 wins 20 ends & 47 points, Rudi Barreto, Chris Staples & Terry Lash.

-- Roger Seaton