Update 25^th Mar 2013.

Northern’s women’s team wins the Division 2 Interclub Title.

Congratulations to Julianne Mills, Carol Davidson, Lynlea Rogers, Sue Meyer, Jacinta Cousins, Julie Palmer, Christina Bryan, Pat Baker (Manager) and Noeleen Elston (Coach).

You can see the full results  here http://www.bowlsnz.co.nz/events/bowls-nz-national-interclub-championships/interclub-results/

Well done!

This weekend. Starting on Friday.

NORTHERN Bowling Club

SILVESTER/CLARK

2013 EASTER TRIPLES   

Well worth coming down to the Club to see some top bowlers in action.

Update 19^th Mar 2013.

Congratulations to all involved with the annual Hospice tournament and fund raising. A marvellous effort all round and a great day on the greens as a bonus.

Wanganui East paid a return visit to our club on Sunday. For those who don’t know, Northern managed to scrape home winners overall by 1 game. Very close, and a lot of enjoyment for all those involved.

A great day of bowls played with our good friends from the River City.

Bowling On - 19^th March 2013.

Bowls can provide some great sporting moments on the green but for those gathered at the Northern Club last Saturday the feel good generated by the annual Hospice tournament would be hard to match.

It brings the entire Manawatu bowling fraternity (with other centre support)  together for a common cause and this year there was an additional sense of poignancy with the loss of Fran Frith, one of Manawatu's very best women bowlers, two day beforehand at Arohanui Hospice.

While the three greens had a capacity field of 48 teams the bowls seemed of little consequence as the crowd set about raising what looks like a final figure of over $10000 to go to the Hospice. One of the highlights is always the auction and this year was no different with that aspect of the day raising $6500 by itself, with a lot of spirited competition and good banter. The Gush family with "Dadio" Barry and son Craig with his partner Erin are the principal organisers of the day but all the Northern members and many others bend their backs and open their hearts and wallets to make the day the success it is.

• Regional Club Championships were held last week and the Palmerston North men's triple (Chris Barrett, Steve Toms and Graeme Cooley)  and Northern women's four (Feona Sayles, Anna Davis, Jacinta Cousins and Julianne Mills) were the the only teams to win and thus qualify for the National finals at Invercargill in June. It is a surprisingly small success for Manawatu Clubs against the other centres in the region, Wairarapa, Gisborne/East Coast and Hawkes Bay. Perhaps it was the Napier greens that tripped our bowlers up or dare I suggest that using champion of champion winners rather than an open tournament meant we sent less capable bowlers to the event? I look forward to the howls of protest on that one!

It is a big financial impost on players to have to head to Invercargill for the second year running and I frankly believe Bowls New Zealand executives must have rocks in their heads to go back to a venue so close to the Antarctic  in mid-winter, even if it is indoors. Travel costs to such an outpost are ridiculously high.

Last year Terrace End and Palmerston North had teams travel there and got together to organise a fundraising tournament to raise funds which was most successful so hopefully a similar event will take place.

• The centre is light on for open tournaments this coming weekend and a mixed triple at Himatangi on Sunday is the only option. That should ensure they have a full field. I found a two day fours at Manakau in the Kapiti area and am looking forward a tournament on a green I've never been on.

 Terrace End tell me there are still a few vacancies in their 2-4-2 mens pairs on 20 and 21 April. It is usually a top weekend. Unfortunately I'll miss it this year as I'll be performing in "Joseph" at the Regent.

• One of the reasons for the lack of tournaments in the Manawatu this weekend is Palmerston North are hosting the National Inter club finals. Good luck to Palmerston North men and Northern women in the second Division.

• The loss of Frances Frith on the day the first Pope Francis was appointed was someway fitting. If there is a bowls sainthood she would be right up there awaiting canonization or at least beatification. Fran was a very, very good bowler winning 21 Manawatu titles to add to the six she won beforehand in Kapiti. On top of that she had a myriad of successes in Interclub, Representative teams and other tournaments. It was as a skip I remember Fran best - no pressure was ever too much and she could bail any team out of trouble.

• Palmerston North RSA won the national RSA tournament last week for the second consecutive year. Brian Looker, Paul Tregoweth and Graham Gosnell were the successful bowlers on both occasions.

A good club member at Terrace End Fran did her share in administration, coaching and umpiring and she had not long become an internationally accredited umpire when she became ill. We have lost a few bowlers this season but no one could have anticipated we would in the one season lose three such quality younger bowlers and people as Fran Frith, Laurie Gordon and Bob Williams. A huge lose to us all but first and foremost to their families.

TONY JENSEN

Thanks Tony.

Update 12^th Mar 2013.

Congratulations to the Northern Ladies Second Division teams who qualified for National Finals in Palmerston North on March 23^rd and 24^th.

The winning team was Julianne Mills, Lynlea Rogers, Carol Davidson, Christina Bryan, Julie Palmer, Jacinta Cousins and Sue Meyer. Manager Pat Baker. Well done girls!
Congratulations also to Northern's first division Men’s and Ladies teams who finished  second to Bowls Napier and Gisborne respectively.

Craig Gush playing Singles in the first division went through unbeaten. 

Bowling On - 12^th March 2013.

Northern's Arohanui Hospice fundraising tournament takes place this Saturday and it is now etched into the bowls programme as one of the absolute must enter events on the calendar.

It is not the biggest event, it has little in the way of prizes but it brings bowlers together in a spirit of common purpose like no other tournament can. During it's lifespan the tournament has raised over $100000 towards the running of one of our community's greatest assets and I don't mean assets in a bricks and mortar sense.

The tournament is not about winning although inevitably there are stacked teams like any event. Barry Gush has deputised son Craig to assist with the running these days and their good marketing has seen a capacity field of 48 teams enter. Apart from four games of bowls there is a bumper raffles table and an auction afterwards which usually provides plenty of entertainment. Bowlers not participating and members of the public will be most welcome to call at Northern and spend a few dollars. I'm looking forward to it and will line up for the pre-match breakfast as well.

• There may be 192 bowlers lining up in the Hospice tournament but last weeks Golden Oldies at Palmerston North remains unchallenged as the Centre's biggest event with 320 bowlers participating. It was my first foray into this event for the "aged" but any suggestion that it was not competitive or qualitative were soon dispelled. I witnessed some wonderful bowls over the four days and intense competition with five divisions vying for prize money over the last two days.

Robbie Robertson from Wanganui East had two club mates in Cyril Evans and Peter Raymond with him and their fourth player, Ces Bell from Napier skipped the team. Winning 11 games on the trot in any company is a wonderful effort. It was the first time I had played with my skip Barry Wynks and lead Pat O'Neil from Heretaunga while I had enjoyed the company of Terry Curtis at the National fours earlier in the year. We managed to finish second and like everyone I talked to we'll be back next year.

As with most tournaments that are enduring Palmerston North do not muck round with the format and that club's organisation with support from Terrace End is outstanding. When you see how successful and well supported an over sixties event is it is a timely reminder to Bowls New Zealand where the game's real strength lies. It is not with those in the younger age bands.

• The centre's event for two year and under bowlers the Hibiscus Cup was held last Sunday and the remarkable occurrence was that Kimbolton, one of the Centre's tiniest clubs provided the most entries with six and the winning pair Justin Wyatt and Kendra Perkins. The tournament has been a Terrace End benefit in recent times but no one would have expected that dominance to end this way. Runners-up were Ross Martin and Gary Boyd from Terrace End.

Regional Interclub finals were held in Napier last weekend and Northern missed out in both premier divisions But took out women's Division Two and Palmerston North grabbed the men's equivalent. Both teams will go on to the New Zealand finals.

Also being played this week in Napier are the regional National Club Championships and our champion of champion winners are representing our centre in the four gender disciplines while Janeen Noble and Barry Wynks play the mixed 2-4-2 pairs.

Some good bowls to be had in the next few weeks and the negative affects of the drought are balanced by great bowling conditions in the Autumn.

TONY JENSEN

Thanks Tony.