Update 29^th November 2012

 

Bowling On 27^th November.
For some time I have been concerned Bowls New Zealand is trying to mask the decline in the sport's playing numbers and a resolution passed at it's November meeting does not allay my unease in any way.

The resolution passed and circulated to all Clubs read "Increasing participation is critical to the survival and growth of the sport. Casual participation programmes and their delivery must be a key priority for the Whole of Sport Plan development. There must be transparency around the number of casual bowls programmes being held, the numbers participating and all who take part must contribute to the growth of the sport. Casual Bowls Leagues need to be part of the annual tournament approval process that Centres conduct and the Clubs holding Casual Bowls Leagues need to have details listed in Centre handbooks. A Regulation outlining the process of Registration needs to be developed as part of the Whole of Sport Plan development. All casual engagement with the sport needs to be promoted under a known brand (MIB) and a review of brands also needs to be carried out as part of the Whole of Sport development process. This exercise needs to articulate the value of operating under a known brand and the benefit it brings to all levels of the sport."

So what does all that mean? Well for my money it is all part of a plan to introduce a Bowls NZ capitation fee on casual bowlers most of whom play a version of Business House or twilight bowls. Clubs have been running these events since daylight saving was introduced in the early 1970s and their popularity has been maintained while traditional aspects of the sport have declined.

I may be overly suspicious but this suspicion is shared by many in bowls particularly the small country clubs. The last thing Bowls NZ needs is for clubs to secede from their centres and organise their own competitions. These discussions take place regularly and for those clubs containing few of what we would regard as "competitive bowlers" going alone is a real option.

I believe casual bowls tournaments are so popular because they don't dominate your entire leisure time and it is short and sweet in every way. Play a game for one and a half hours, a couple of cold ones and a sausage with your opposition and away home. Back in the 1970s there was an enormous amount of social Rugby and Cricket played and the baby boomers from that era are the ones playing casual bowls. No longer interested in competition but still loving the cameraderie. I'll be interested to see how this turns out. I may be entirely wrong in my assumptions. Read the resolution again and work it out for yourself.

• The delayed final of the Centre mixed 2-4-2 will be played at Terrace End this coming Saturday at 12-15pm and I expect it to be a cracker. Janeen Noble and Barry Wynks will be against playing through champions Sharon Sims and Mark Noble. It has everything, husband versus wife, disabled man versus disabled man and a three time world champion. Get along and see some top bowls.

At the same venue Men's Division two interclub will also be playing and it looks a contest between Palmerston North A, Johnston Park A and Terrace End. Anything could happen yet but to win it the formula is simple - win seven of your nine games and you'll take some beating.



Tony Jensen

Thanks Tony.

For those of you who may have missed Tony's column from last week the 20th of November, here it is.

Bowling On 20th November.

In spite of the unavailability of seven players the Manawatu Women's bowling team scored a hard fought but very meritorious win over Wanganui and Taranaki at their annual tournament at Hawera Park last Saturday.

It is never easy travelling and playing the same day but with furthest to travel our women were well awake and ended up with 15 points to just head off Wanganui on 14 with Taranaki on seven trailing it's visitors.

Selector Viv Lozell would be well pleased with all combinations. Janeen Noble performed extra well winning both singles and Feona Sayles will have her work cut out to reclaim her singles spot after she was unavailable for this event.

The new pair of Christine Quinn skipping and Robyn Schischka off the front looked extra good and Sheryn Blake and Mere Freyer looked right at home in the top end of the four. Who to leave out will be Lozell's quandary when she narrows to a top seven for future events.

Our men's team on the other hand was third in their two day event played at Wanganui East and featuring the same three centres but were very competitive in some disciplines. Points were Taranaki 29, Wanganui 23 and Manawatu 20 and while Taranaki were never going to lose a little extra luck could have seen Manawatu finish second.

It was a vastly improved effort from last season when Manawatu were a distant third but the real headache for selector Eric Watson is fours. The green team four of Phillip Skoglund, Graeme Cooley, Steve Toms and Ross Ellery won only one game from four and the white combination of Brian Little, Barry Wynks, Terry Curtis and Scruff Anderson had but one draw.

For some years Skoglund has carried an enormous workload in fours but no player can respond every end. For my money too few bowlers really understand the discipline required in the two bowl game. It is so different to three and four bowls where any mug can get one in the head. Not so in fours. You often hear corrupt thinking bandied about tht "if the lead is not there the whole team is off". If the lead's not there the two has a job to do and so on.

Fortunately Chris Barrett went well winning three of four singles and Scotty McGavin had a fifty percent return in the other singles spot.

Manawatu finished second in the Development competition with Mike Hodge playing outstanding bowls and Bruce Harris, Ian Lewis and Mike Bowey looking at ease at that level.

If we were marking exams we would grant an honours pass to the women but the men would receive that comment "can do better" that most of us were familiar with growing up!

• Interclub will resume this Saturday and any player at the front end of a four could well do with putting their hand up when they mark Watson in the premier grade. Palmerston North and Northern are only separated by a point and I'm not bold enough to predict who'll come out on top. Takaro and Terrace End are close enough that any team could still win but they would probably need other results to go their way. A clean sweep in any round could turn the tournament upside down.

• Manawatu Bowls has dramatically improved it's website thanks to the skills of secretary Ian Lewis. Have a look at www.bowlsmanawatu.co.nz and see what I mean. It's one of the best around.

• Congratulations to Northern's premier seven that won the Manawatu women's team prize at the recent Manawatu Sports awards. I often admire the women of this club for their club spirit. They achieve highly on the green but when you look deeper they are nearly all involved in administration, coaching, selecting and aren't too proud to front in the kitchen as well.

• Adam Johnston, Brian Looker and Clayton Simpson all played at the New Zealand Open recently and performed with credit. Johnston made the last eight in the triples while Looker and Simpson went out 12-11 in the last 32 of the pairs to the highly accomplished combination of Peter Sain and Nick Butter.

• The time Honoured National Tournament will be played in the Taranaki this season and it will be interesting to see how many Manawatu Bowlers make the relatively short journey to greens that are unmatched in the North Island. I'm taking the opportunity myself and will still return for my favourite tournament of all, the Taranaki Open.

• There are tournaments galore coming up in the next few weeks and clubs need to remember that if you expect others to support your tournaments you need to reciprocate. They need further remember that if greens are not up to scratch your visitors don't return. So get your centre books out and get on the phone and enter a tournament or two - you might even take home a prize even if it is just the raffle.

Email news to tony.jensen@aon.com


TONY JENSEN

 

Update 9th November 2012.

Bowling On 7th November

Manawatu has produced some great bowlers in the past at National level but since the retirement of Sharon Sims (MNZM) it has been lean pickings for our Centre.

Thus it was with a sense of great pleasure I have noted the selection of Sophie Fisher (Himatangi Beach) and Caitlin Thomson (Hokowhitu) in the 22 person National Under 18 squad which will be trimmed to compete in the Trans Tasman series next year. It is indeed a great fillip for those two clubs as well. There was a time that we almost took for granted national representation with the long and successful careers of Phil Skoglund (OBE), Peter Shaw, Vic Sellars, Phillip Skoglund jnr, Russell Meyer, Sims, Lyn McLean and Joyce Osborne.

I've been impressed with these two girls, they seem to have excellent natures as well as ability which is something that will serve them well in life whatever they end up doing.

 Both players were members of the Manawatu Five year and under side that won the annual tournament with Wellington, Kapiti and Wairarapa last week, the first time Manawatu has won back to back tournaments. Thomson starred with two wins and a vital draw against Wellington in the singles while the pair of Ailsa Lindsay and Glenda O'Connor were unbeaten. The 2-4-2 pair of Fisher and Tania Harris won two from three while the triple had one win and two narrow losses. Final points were Manawatu 17, Wellington 13, Kapiti 13 and Wairarapa six.

Several unavailabilities mean our women's senior team will be rebuilding this season and it remains to be seen whether selector Viv Lozell will be bold enough to thrust someone like Thomson into a team combination. Such commanding form at the singles discipline could easily transfer to a front end role.

• Selector Eric Watson has named his 14 players to compete in the Arnold Shield with Taranaki and Wanganui. The event will be played in Wanganui over the weekend of 17-18 November and Manawatu are in need of a good showing to warrant the investment that will be required to send them to the National inter centre this season. Pat Horgan was the only unavailable player.

Teams are Green; Singles Chris Barrett, Pair Craig Gush (s) and Adam Johnston, Fours Phillip Skoglund jnr (s), Graeme Cooley, Grant Davis and Ross Ellery. White; Singles Scotty McGavin, Pairs Mark Noble (s) and Neil Gordon. Fours Brian Little (s), Steve Toms, Barry Wynks (QSM), and Terry Curtis.

Two fours will also contest the development tournament between the same centres. Those selected are Grant Simms (s), Keith Hughes, Graham Black and Te Nawe Hooper-Whiti (team one), and Mike Hodge (s), Ian Lewis, Mike Bowey and Chance Hausman.

• Centre president Phil Skoglund tells me they are yet to secure funding to send our men's and women's teams to the inter centre and this was set as a pre-requisite before entering. It is to be hoped that is obtainable as players will already have to front with some funds and there is nothing worse than having to pick a team only from those who can afford it.

• Interclub was interrupted by weather on Saturday with most sections only completing one round. For me it once again brought into question the decision to begin at 10-00am instead of the traditional 9-00am start. An extra hour would have seen the second round completed. Most players are marking time for that hour anyway and besides bed is a good place to get out of - a lot of people die there!

Northern have only lost one game in women's division one and the final two rounds won't be played as they can't be headed. When you consider they also look near unassailable in Division two the lack of depth in other clubs is being dramatically exposed. In that Division Northern A have 18 points, Northern B 16 and Johnston Park with 12 the best of the rest.

It is a totally different situation in the men's contests. In Division one with 2.5 rounds to go Palmerston North lead with 12 points, Northern 11, Takaro seven and with six Terrace End not entirely out of touch. While the bottom two may struggle to win they will probably dictate the outcome by what games they take off the first two. In division two you can throw a blanket over five teams with Palmerston North A on 14, both Johnston Park teams and Terrace End 12 and Ashhurst/Te Kawau on ten well in touch.

• You will have noticed I acknowledged several players in this column by including reference to their civic honours. We need remember what contribution players have made to this and other sport.

• Northern's women's division one team has been nominated for Manawatu team of the year and Barry Wynks for disabled sportsman. Barry competes only in open competition and the only time I have seen him acknowledge his disability is when it's time to shout and extract money from his wallet! Seriously though most deserved for both.

• Keep the news coming to tony.jensen@aon.co.nz.

Tony Jensen

Thanks Tony.

Update 3rd November.

Corner to Corner Competition.

Can it get any better!! You have a chance to help with MIB (or if you are a social member play in it!). You have a chance to win some dollars with target bowls on a Friday (social and players). But now, wait, there is MORE you also have the chance to win a bottle of whiskey each week, or second place is bottle of wine and have the opportunity to win the club $3000!!!!  This competition is open to social members and players. It starts this Thursday 8^th – so get your name in on the sign-up sheet real soon. You can put your name in on the day – but best to sign up before. The competition will start 5.30, so if you want to sign up on the night please do so by 5.00pm. If you are not able to get down to the Club to sign up please email Feona onFeona.Sayles@xtra.co.nz