Update 27th  February 2012

Congratulations to our Colt Singles Champion of Champion Graham Black.

Well done Graham.

Well done also to Jaime Smith (10 Year and under) and Christina Bryan (1 & 2 Year), runners up in their respective events.

Graham.

Gwen and George Mackenzie Cups

Yesterday, Sunday the 26^th 12 teams fronted up to play for the G and G Mackenzie cups. It was a perfect day for playing bowls and although the turnout was disappointingly small, the standard of play was excellent.

Played over 4 rounds, at the end of play there were 6 teams on 3 wins which indicates how close the competition was. In the end, it was one point that separated the winners from the rest of the field. 

The Gwen and George Mackenzie Cups were presented by Gwen to Jacinta Cousins and Kevin McKenzie, the winners for this season.

Coming up this weekend.

Saturday - 10.30am the Final of the Senior Men’s Pairs at Northern.

Regional Finals - Interclub at Palmerston North.

Sunday

Regional Finals - Intercentre at Northern.

 Bowling On - 27th Feb

All the preparation our men’s and women’s representative sevens have put in will be put to the test on Sunday when the Intercentre play-offs are completed at Northern.

Many of the squad will have had a good final workout on the Saturday when the same region's interclub teams play-off although the venue will be different at Palmerston North. Besides Manawatu the other Centres  involved are Gisborne-East Coast, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay.

Palmerston North represent Manawatu in both divisions of the men’s Interclub and the Division one team looks particularly formidable. Chris Barrett played the singles in the Manawatu event but this time he will skip the four and Ross Ellery returns to play the individual discipline.

Northern is Manawatu's representative in the womens first division and they are chock full of talented players who have been in form. It often comes down to singles and Feona Sayles will front for Northern. Both her and Ellery will back up in the same spot in the intercentre so they carry much responsibility.

The second division will see Takaro representing Manawatu women. They beat some handy teams to get where they are but the environment will really test their compatibility and resolve.

I expect the Manawatu women to be a real force on the Sunday but I am not so sure about the men's side. The men’s four and the pair have not played as combinations in the preparation matches and several players have it in their minds that they never compete as well at the Northern venue. Such thinking may suggest brittle temperaments on the big stage.

Four Northern players are in the women’s seven and they are relishing the prospect of performing at home. The four has looked a very strong combination with three of that combination playing together in Centre events and at club level.  Fran Frith the team's skip has competed well outside the centre as well as has Sayles and pairs skip Sharon Sims has more international experience and success than any player in either gender.

Teams Are; Interclub, Men. Division One Palmerston North, Singles Ross Ellery; Pairs Pat Horgan (s) and Graeme Cooley: Fours Chris Barrett (s), Brian Little, Steve Toms and Eric Watson. Division Two Palmerston North, Singles Dean Gilshnan, Pairs Don Cooley (s) and Ted Hodgson; Fours Eric Cairncross (s), Crellan Hooper, Alan Morley and Gerry Firth. Women Division One, Northern. Singles Feona Sayles; pairs Sharon Sims (s) and Noeleen Elston; Fours Viv Lozell (s), Anna Davis, Christine Quinn and Sue Meyer. Division Two, Takaro. Singles Patricia Hanson; Pairs Betty Parker (s) and Margaret Hefferen; Fours Tania McKay (s), Tania Harris, Sue Scott and Michele Welsh. Intercentre Men; Singles Ellery; Pairs Horgan (s) and Shane Rogers; Fours Phillip Skoglund, Barrett, Barry Wynks and Lawrie Gordon. Women, singles Sayles, Pairs Sims (s) and Quinn; Fours Fran Frith (s), Sheryn Blake, Mere Fryer and Georgie Kahui-Rogers.

• A grand performance from Himitangi Beach 15 year old Sophie Fisher  saw her win the regional girls Kittyhawk (under 20) elimination at Wanganui last weekend. The final of the tournament will be played at Auckland over Easter and with the top four going through Fisher will be joined by Kaitlin Thompson of Hokowhitu who finished third.

• Some time back I set out on a project to recreate the Manawatu Centre's Men’s senior title records and the project is nearing completion. Records were apparently lost at the amalgamation of the men’s and women’s centre. I have visited most clubs to inspect their honours boards and certificates and talked to many bowlers.  Entries I don't have are the 2000/01 Champion of champion pairs, The four seasons from 1998/99 to 2001/02 for champion of champion triples and the 2003/04 champion of champion fours. One Club I haven't been to is Dannevirke and I suspect they were involved in some of the missing entries. In Centre Open titles I am only missing the 1999/00 pairs and the 2001/02 singles. I would appreciate any assistance to complete the gaps. It may even be you were runners-up and will be able to recall who beat you. Once complete I hope to produce the complete record for clubs.

• A big day for Terrace End last Saturday with their representatives Bev Budd and Shane Rogers taking both senior champion of champion titles. What more can be said about Bev's record. She wouldn't want to be hit by lightning when wearing the "bars" from all her title wins!

• Don't forget your entry for the Hospice tournament on 10 March. Last time I was talking to organiser Barry Gush there were still a few spots available and he is still seeking donations for his giant raffle and auction.

 Email news to tony.jensen@aon.co.nz

TONY JENSEN

Update 21^st  February 2012

Club Champs

Last weekend saw the completion of several of our Club Championships.

Well done to all those who were successful.

Also, spare a thought to those runner ups who competed in well fought finals.

Congratulations to you all.

Senior Ladies Pairs.

Won by Sharon Sims and Sue Meyer.  Runner up were Mere Fryer and Julianne Mills.

Sharon and Sue.

Senior Men’s Singles.

Won by Phillip Skoglund. Runner up was Ray Lovie.

Phillip.

10 Year and Under Men’s Pairs.

Won by Paul Darbyshire and Harold Bailey. Runner ups were Keith Hughes and Harry Mills.

Paul and Harold.

The Finalists of the Men’s Senior Pairs was decided on Sunday.

The Pairs of Craig and Barry Gush and Mark Noble and Derek McKee making it through. The final is set down to be played on March the 3^rd. (Start time to be advised.)

This weekend Saturday and Sunday, at the Club, we are hosting the Champion of Champion Ladies Singles. There is bound to be some very good bowls being played and well worth you making the effort to come down to the club to have a look and support your Club Member participants.

Don’t forget the G and G MacKenzie cup on Sunday the 26^th of Feb.

This is a 1 day mixed pair’s event.  Not a lot of entries so far. You have until 4pm on Saturday the 25^th to get your entry in.

Intermediate Men’s Triples.

Scheduled now to be held on Sunday the 18^th of March.

Bowling On – 21^st February 2012

No sooner have National Club Centre titles been decided than we are straight into Champion of Champion events.

I always relish these events which inevitably feature some David versus Goliath contests and there have been some colossal upsets over the years - none more so than when the minnow from the Woodville Club toppled Northern in the men’s fours final in the 2007/08 season. The win by John Lawrence and Rob Turner of Ashhurst in the 2003/04 pairs is another that comes to mind. He may not have won it but the late John Harris from the tiny Kimbolton Club came to town in the singles in the same season and got right to the final only to lose to Stephen Love of Te Kawau.

We have seen many upsets throughout the Centre's season and we can expect more of the same when the singles are played off on Saturday. Often two big names will draw each other first up and after draining each other in a cliffhanger the winner will fall to Nigel No-name next up.

 In the men’s singles final at Northern on Saturday it was two unfancied players from country clubs who came through to contest the final. You would have got odds of at least 20 to one on either Brian Schischka (Johnston Park) or Scotty McGavin (Bulls) at the beginning of the tournament but the simplicity of bowls is that if you draw closer more often you win!

Schischka has been in the Manawatu six years now but he had not even managed a club title before Saturday's win. One of the remarkable occurrences was Brian joined wife Robyn in winning the open singles in the same season. Couples such as Viv and Colin Lozell and Sue and Des Meyer have featured in the team disciplines in the same season but singles is something else and I can't see any other couple who have performed the double in the last 30 years which is as far back as I can cover. If there is such an occurrence someone knows of I would be glad to hear of it.

While nostalging on past greats it is well to remember some of the greater family connections among Manawatu bowlers. The Skoglunds lead the way of course with Phil (the current Old Skog) one the game's ultimate legends. His father Phillip Oscar and sons Phillip and Raymond along with young Phillip's son Ryan Khan are all outstanding bowlers and of course other family connections have starred in other Centres. The Sellars were a great dynasty led by Vic and his sister Joyce Osborne and of course another sister Pearl Diamond was a supreme achiever in the Taranaki. Vic's son Wayne was another topliner and current representative bowler Chris Barrett is a Sellars descendant.

The Galloways are another family of dynastic prominence. Ken and Royce were followed by their children Stan and Sue (Meyer) and the next generation includes Michael Galloway and the Meyers Russell and Ian, all top flight bowlers.

Terry Puklowski and Lyn McLean are brother and sister and more latterly we have had Peter Lambert and daughter Desiree.

Anyone who has other Manawatu strong family connections among our well performed competitors I would be glad to hear from you.

• Palmerston North tell me their "Mates in Bowls" is going very well, attracting 80 to 90 non bowlers each week. The after match turnover and other fundraising opportunities makes it all worthwhile even if it is extra pressure on the members organising. My own Johnston Park club runs a more traditional twilight competition with a mixture of bowlers and non bowlers and 22 fours are lining up each week. These types of competitions have a real place in the game and my personal view is we need to somehow replicate golf's green fee play as well.

• I am rather sad to report that playing numbers  in The Manawatu have dropped significantly again this season. We now have 862 players compared with 964 last year, 999 the previous year and 1083 in the 2008/09 season. At the current rate of departure the game will be extinct in the Manawatu in 10 years. Palmerston North 184 to 157, Northern 97 to 85 and Johnston Park 101 to 87 have all suffered significantly in the last year while the only clubs to grow were Hokowhitu with an incease of two to 66 and Kimbolton showing an increase of one with 16 members. Where are they all and why? If the baby boomers are supposed to solve dwindling membership where are they? There is no one answer but I personally believe the game still takes too long, some bowlers lack sporting integrity which is off putting and much about the game is unattractive to modern generations. All bowlers have been invited to Bowls NZ roadshows at Palmerston North Bowling Club on 28 March. Players, clubs, centres and Bowls NZ all have to work together to "attract" people to spend their discretionary time with us.

• Long time secretary of our Centre Irene Reilly advised me this week she will be retiring at season's end. We will farewell her at an appropriate time but anyone who would like to consider this part time paid role please contact me.

• At the close of the National club fours at the weekend Peter Dellabarca spoke on behalf of the losing team and made an impassioned plea for bowlers to return to the way we used to play, the inference being sportsmanship should come first and questionable tactics don't belong in the game. I couldn't agree with him more. Email news to tony.jensen@aon.co.nz

TONY JENSEN

Update 13^th February 2012

Club Champs, 65 and over Singles.

Congratulations to this year’s 65 and over Singles Champion, Colin Lozell.

Colin had to defeat Bob Norris, who had two life’s, twice to secure the title.

Well done to both players.

Colin Lozell.


Coming up

This coming Saturday the 18^th Feb, is going to be an interesting day at the club with the final rounds of the National Club Singles and the final of the National Club fours. (See Tony Jensen’s Bowling On below for more details.)

On the same green, Murray confirms that the Club will be playing the final of the Club Championship Senior Singles, Ladies and Men's and the second day of the Men’s 10 year and under pairs.

It is a 9am start for all events.

I am expecting that there will be some very good bowls played on Saturday and well worth you making the time to come down to have a look and to support your fellow Club Members.

On Sunday the 19^th it is the Second day of the Senior Men’s Pairs.

9am start.

Don’t forget the G and G MacKenzie cup on the following Sunday the 26^th of Feb.

This is a 1 day mixed pair’s event.  Entry Sheet is on the Notice Board.

(Disregard the 2^nd day in the Club Handbook for the 12^th of March.)

This event will be played over 4 rounds starting at 9am.

Good Bowling.

Bowling On – 13^th February 2012

Saturday presents as another good day of bowls watching with finals of mens national club fours and singles being played at Northern.

The singles is at the semi-final stage and Northern have two representatives in Craig Gush and Terry Johnson who will play Brian Schischka (Johnston Park) and Scotty McGavin (Bulls) respectively.

McGavin has often promised plenty without ever quite delivering but he has enough talent to beat this field.  Johnson was in telling form in the fours last weekend and his ability to frustrate opponents with tactics is well known. Gush is the most proven competitor of the four at Manawatu centre level but in recent seasons he has not often featured in singles. Schischka loves the singles discipline but he has seldom featured in the Manawatu since his shift from the Wairarapa a few seasons ago.

The womens singles was an all Johnston Park affair and I tend to think Northern might provide the quinella particularly with a boisterous home crowd likely.

Palmerston North's Brian Little made no race of his fours semi-final against Neil Petersen (Himatangi Beach) with a scoreline of 23-1 but it was more the manner in which the win was achieved that impressed me. Ross Ellery off the front is pressure personified and with Steve Toms (two) and Graeme Cooley (director) looking right at home in their spots they will be a formidable opponent for Johnson in the final.

At number three Adam Johnston really looked to be coming to grip with Manawatu conditions for Johnson and he  seems to handle pressure well. John Proctor at lead is never far away but he will have to lift to match Ellery. Johnson's two is Peter Dellabarca - over 70 he might be but no man loves a good scrap on the bowling green more than he does. An enthralling final looks in store and it is set down to be played at 2-00pm after the singles final.

To add lustre to the occasion Northern will complete their mens and womens singles on the same green during the day. Phillip Skoglund Jnr (two lives) plays Ray Lovie in the mens potential final and Feona Sayles and Sharon Sims are among the womens remaining field of five. There will be some great watching here as well.

• One of those clubmate versus clubmate happenings that one team wants to forget and the other wants to remember occured when Don Sones played Eric Cairncross (Palmerston North) during section play in the national club fours. Cairncross who was teamed with Wayne Mouldey, Jake Aldrich and Paul Rowe was leading 12-3 only to drop a maximum eight on the seventh end. Those drawing the shots along with Sones were Brian and Ron Henn and Dave Free. For the record Sones went on to win both the game and the  cross leaner bragging rights.

• No sooner will we complete the National club championships than champion of champion events commence with singles the following weekend.  Champion of champions also sees some good open tournaments being played in tandem for those not representing their clubs. The first of these will be the Johnston Park pairs on 25 and 26 February and Dannevirke's hetero triples on the same weekend.

• While talking of tournaments I was reflecting  with a group of bowlers recently about the ethic that prevailed when I first took the game up. Recognised skips took a colt to at least one tournament during the season. It is a tradition that could well be reintroduced.

• One of the bigger tournaments in New Zealand is the National Chartered Clubs which was held in Oamaru this year with 128 teams competing. Manawatu doesn't feature strongly with entries usually but Dannevirke sent George Withey, Bob Collins, Bill Illsley and Gary Read on the long trek in early February. They represented the area with credit making the last 13 before falling to Frankton Junction 14-12 in their last game. It's a tournament I've been to several times and it is a good week.

• I got told at the weekend that "The column" is getting a bit boring with the same old. I think the critic might well be right but it is increasingly difficult to come up with a news angle when no news is forthcoming from clubs. Email your news to tony.jensen@aon.co.nz

TONY JENSEN

Update 8^th February 2012

Bowling On – 8^th February

Should we manage to get in two full days play at the National Club fours on the weekend the Manawatu Executive will breathe a collective sigh of relief.

It has been a very average summer weather wise and clubs have also been under pressure playing club championships on the recent statutory holidays to catch up. Two full days at the weekend should see all women's events completed and the men down to a semi-final in the singles and a final in the fours meaning the programme will be completed on 18 February with any luck.

From there regional finals and interclub/intercentre will take precedence and they will be completed just before champion of champion events. Weather permitted eight women’s teams will compete in the fours and 24 men’s teams. The event will be run at Northern so three greens in use will give a good sight. Some of my recent predictions have been well astray but in the women's event I would expect there will be little between any of the teams which are made up of four from Northern, two from Terrace End and one each from Johnston Park and Palmerston North.

Seven clubs are represented in the men’s field with Palmerston North seven and Northern five supplying the equivalent of a section between them. Neither selector has named their top seven yet for the impending intercentre so we can expect some very competitive feeling in some matches. Mark Noble plays Pat Horgan first up and with selector Eric Watson in the Horgan line-up Noble has a last opportunity to impress. Likewise Shane Rogers will front against Horgan in the second round and Rogers will also be keen to cement his place.

In the other section Chris Barrett will have to get past Brian Looker from Terrace End and the unflappable Terry Johnson from Northern but he is in top form having partnered Bob Williams to win Palmerston North's pairs on Waitangi Day. Ray Lovie has had a quiet season by his standards and he also meets Looker and Johnson.

• One of the "must enter" tournaments in the Manawatu is the annual Hospice tournament on 10 March and this year there is absolutely nothing in the Centre being played against it. While some Clubs may have one or two championships to run off there should be no reason we cannot pack three greens at Northern. The tournament usually raises about $5000 for the Hospice including as it does major raffles and an auction. John Graham is our usual auctioneer and that entertainment is worth the entry fee alone. Barry Gush is once again the organiser and apart from getting your entry in Barry would also appreciate donations for raffles and the auction. This is one occasion when bowlers need to put aside cross club prejudices and support an organisation that touches us all at some stage.

• Bowls has lost two very good friends in the last fortnight. Marilyn Sixtus, though not playing a lot herself had been a grand support for her husband Vern who has been a fantastic administrator in the game for many years and has held every position on the Manawatu executive at some stage. Marilyn died after a short illness and at her funeral bowlers were also mourning the untimely passing of Neil Priske from Terrace End. A handy bowler who was absolutely fearless and would call shots none of us could play Priskie was another able administrator. We will miss his boisterous presence.

Tony Jensen

Update 7^th February 2012

Ladies Singles Club Championships

Congratulations to Sharon Sims, winner of the Club Championship Ladies Singles.

Chrissie Quinn was Runner up.

Sharon and Chrissie.

Cameron Jewellers Waitangi Day Tournament.

A great day’s Bowls. Thanks Peter (2nd from the left).

It was good to see 24 teams had entered this year. Peter commented on this and announced that after 15 years of sponsoring this tournament he was prepared to continue with his sponsorship in the future as long as the players continued to support the tournament. So, see you all there again next year.

The eventual Winner was "Team Noble" consisting of Mark, his Wife and his Mum.

Second was Terry Rossiter’s Team.

Third was Kevin Suisted’s Team.

Congratulations to you all.

Barry Gush’s Hospice Notes.

It is that time again with the Annual Hospice Tournament scheduled for the 10^th of March.

If you haven’t already, get your teams in. It is a great day supporting a good cause.

(1). Barry would appreciate any items suitable for the Raffle or the auction. Here is your chance to move on those unwanted Raffle prizes or Christmas presents.

(2). The donation of cans of fruit and grocery items for the wheelbarrow raffle would also be appreciated. Check your pantry and cupboards. Anything that has been there “too long” is probably not required by you and would be welcomed as a contribution to the raffle.

(3). ***NOTE*** Sorry.  No donations of TV sets unless they are flat screens with digital tuning, will be accepted. The same applies to VCR’s etc.

Update from Murray - PROPOSED CLEANUP DATES FOR MENS CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saturday 18^th Feb 9am

Men’s Singles final between Phillip Skoglund, 2 lifes and Ray Lovie, 1 life.

Men’s 10 year and under Pairs 2^nd day.

Sun 19^th Feb 9am

Men’s Senior Pairs 2^nd day 9am.

Please note, these are only proposed dates at this time and will depend on qualifiers for the Centre Fours next weekend and what dates the Centre require to complete their competitions.

The Men’s Intermediate Triples dates are still to be confirmed but they will not be before March.