What a battle!

Bowls Auckland versus Bowls North Harbour's annual Battle of the Bridge took place Sunday, 4 December, with:

• Premier 1 Men & Women at Browns Bay Bowling Club
• Premier 2 Women at Mairangi Bay Bowling Club
• Premier 2 Men at Takapuna Bowling Club
• 1-5 Year Men & Women at Blockhouse Bay Bowling Club.

Our Auckland teams were just too good on the day, although there were very close and exciting games at all levels. The results are: 

• Premier 1 Women – Auckland 10, North Harbour 4 
• Premier 1 Men – Auckland 12, North Harbour 2
• Premier 2 Women – Auckland 8, North Harbour 6
• Premier 2 Men – Auckland 8.5, North Harbour 5.5
• 1-5 Year Men & Women – Auckland 15.5, North Harbour 12.5

Thank you to North Harbour and all clubs concerned. The events were hosted and run exceptionally well and enjoyed by all players. Congratulations & a very big thank you to all players who gave their time to play great competitive bowls. 

Thanks also to Neville Hill, John Ross & Bev Crowe as Managers, it is much appreciated. 

Contributed by Alison Rennie

Top: Auckland 1-5 Year Men & Women. Above: Auckland & North Harbour Premier 2 Men.
Below: Auckland Premier 2 Women

Smiling champions!

There's nothing like a competition such as the Battle of Bridge to bring together some of the best bowlers we have.  This group is a mix of former and current international champions!

Pictured L-R: Neville Hill, Mike Galloway, Milikin Nathan, Tony Grantham, Selina Goddard, Olivia Bloomfield, Gary Lawson, Paris Baker.

Ladies in pink

We were delighted to get 22 team entries for Glen Eden's Pink Ribbon Ladies Triples Tournament on Sunday, 4 December, to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.

The club and greens were pictures of pink as the ladies enjoyed a fun day of bowling in sunny conditions. Later they were treated to yummy refreshments.

At last count, we raised $3,000 but as donations are still coming in the final official amount is still to be confirmed!

Winners: Colleen Watene, Claire Tawharu and Robyn Fisher from Royal Oak being congratulated by Kerry Kirwan from Barfoot & Thompson (in black) 

Second place: Gail Clarke, Aggie Motu & Sandra Taylor from Bridge Park & Royal Oak with Kerry Kirwan 

Third place: Jenny Jones, Chrissy Pegg & Leigh Anderson from Pt Chevalier & Te Atatu with Kerry Kirwan 

Consolation prize: Howick. Noeline won best dressed with her angel wings and socks!

Contributed by Darren Schroeder

Opening day at Ōtāhuhu Railway

Ōtāhuhu Railway Bowling Club was at a crossroads six months ago on whether to sell and amalgamate with another club or develop a business plan to raise capital to install a new artificial surface.

The members decided they wanted the club to survive, if possible. There were numerous reasons why members wanted Ōtāhuhu Railway to continue: a lack of bowling facilities in South Auckland, the loss of the only railway club left in NZ, the loss of a community facility, and the cultural aspect of our club - plus Ōtāhuhu Railway owned the land. ANZ accepted our business plan, so three months ago, the upgrade project began – the installation of a new premium Tiger Turf surface and refreshing of the clubhouse.

On Sunday 4 December, we celebrated the opening of our new green. It was a great turnout with a full green of Triples teams from clubs across Auckland. Mayor Wayne Brown was in attendance, so to Greame Scott & Dean Bartlett from Bowls Auckland, we very much appreciated their messages of support.  We are happy to say we had eight new members sign up on the day.

We will continue to make improvements to move the club forward. Players and visitors can expect Ōtāhuhu Railway's famous hospitality - good bowling and a warm and welcoming atmosphere with cost-friendly prices!

All the hard mahi has paid off, and the committee can be proud of the achievements with an eye to a better future. I would like to personally thank everyone who has supported the club over the past six months, with so many generous people making donations to help support the club.

Contributed by Brett Proffitt

President Bowls Auckland Greame Scott commented on the opening. “It was a privilege for Bowls Auckland to attend the opening of Ōtāhuhu Railway’s new green. We are excited by the enthusiasm at the club & cannot wait to support them to grow and deliver great bowling experiences to as many people as possible. Congratulations to all involved in the upgrade project. Ōtāhuhu is an amazing community, and we are sure its refresh will place them in good stead to engage with more of its local community.”

Umpiring the world's best!

Auckland umpires, Phil Bowden, Amy Cheung and Weng Lim, for the first time, headed into the big wide world of top-class lawn bowls recently, joining 22 other well-qualified umpires in Wellington for the World Bowls Championship Singles.  Played over eight days, on 19-25 November, 28 males and 15 females Single players represented their country.

Our first job was to register all the player's bowls and check their certification.  All ran well until we bumped into Nooroa Mataio from the Cook Islands, a bubbly & happy lady.  Unfortunately, her bowls which had been gifted to her had seen better days – they were patched up with filler so didn’t meet specifications.  A search around the club found some newish size 3 bowls, a little bigger than her size 1.5s.  Nooroa said, “these bowls are much better than mine, can I use them all week, please?" Problem solved; I am sure she played better bowls too.

All umpires were given directions on how the work allocations would be managed; every umpire was rostered to undertake every role. The so-called rest games often didn’t occur as help was needed somewhere.  Each green had two umpires and six markers.  Any spares worked as board flippers or runabouts, spread over the three-game times.  Double-checking all greens, three outdoor and one 9-rink indoor, with detailed measuring and instructions to the greenkeepers on the green marking requirements was part of our schedule for the next seven days.  

When rainstorms hit, the backup plan was to cram three outdoor greens into one indoor green by running shorter breaks between games, and 4 or 5 rounds in a day. It’s surprising how everyone pulling together can make miracles happen!  The next five days ran very smoothly, sometimes outside with a breeze or gale, sometimes inside calm as can be.  Every umpire knew where they were allocated & what role they had to play for every game.  You soon got to know everyone, and what a cooperative bunch to have available in some testing conditions.

Marking was the most in-demand role, but you got to manage and see a full game. Umpires were not often called, but when we were, you could bet it was for a very tight measure. Both umpires met in the middle for the 23-metre measures with almost no time wasted. Long string measures needed both umpires, short measures and boundary scopes were by the most convenient way.  I think we need a few more good trainee umpires to volunteer in Auckland!

All the players were very polite and friendly.  The qualifiers all had to battle to get their wins, which went right through to the knockout post-section games.  All the winning places were well-fought matches, and both finals required perfect final bowls.  The very last bowl of the competition by Englishman Sam Tolchard needed two shots to win - lying two down on the green a brilliant drive that put the jack in the ditch between the boundary markers and removed the two-opposition bowls. You couldn’t script such a finish.

It was a week of excellent bowling from the world’s best.  It was a wonderful experience, and as it returns to NZ again next year, I will be applying again.

Contributed by Phil Bowden

Ham-tastic

It was a sure sign "things are nearly back to normal" as Kohi hosted full greens for our annual Ham Tournament on Tuesday 6 December. 

The competition on this mild day produced two 4-game winners and ten 3-game winners. Ethan Mitchell from Bayley's Real Estate led the sponsorship honours. Ethan has been on the bowling club circuit with David recently applying his sporting background to the action on the greens. An Olympic and Commonwealth Games medalist in cycling, Ethan said he has so much respect for those playing an endurance 8-hour game of bowls compared to the four minutes of one of his events.  

Complimenting the camaraderie amongst our players and clubs, holiday hams were distributed and enjoy the afternoon at Kohimarama.  Pictured with Ethan is the top team with 4 wins 23 points for and 25 against are Margaret Dickinson (lead), Amy Cheung (skip), and Roger Seaton (two) from St Heliers. 

Contributed by Cynthia Morris

We have an exciting summer ahead, with opportunities through centre events to raise awareness for your company and support bowls in Auckland. 

These events include the Auckland Open 2-4-2 Mixed Pairs, Champ of Champs, and many more. The benefits to your company range from branding across our online channels to naming rights and even an article in Friday Flash! 

If you are interested in partnering with Bowls Auckland and supporting an upcoming event - please email dean@bowlsauckland.co.nz