Bowling On – 28^th December

 It's a bumper time for bowls over the next month but most of the action for our leading bowlers will take place in the Taranaki.

The Bowls Nationals commence on 28 December and a complement of 34 men and 14 women will represent our Centre over the three disciplines of pairs, singles and fours. I suspect it's our best representation in 20 to 30 years. When you compare that to Wellington in 2010-11 we had only 10 bowlers over both genders.

I know the drawcard is the quality of greens that Taranaki produces and the legendary hospitality of the Clubs. A visit to a country club in Taranaki is a treat to be sure and it is something many of our bowlers are familiar with from visits to the Taranaki men's and women's open fours.

Having such a representation really increases the chances our bowlers can return with some silverware. More bowlers will qualify, by doing so some will eliminate big names and there is a chance for bowlers in form to come through to the last eight and beyond.

The strongest looking men's four is Pat Horgan (Palmerston North) skip, Philip Skoglund Jnr (Northern) three with two other Palmerston North bowlers Graeme Cooley and Ross Ellery off the front. All will play singles and also play pairs, Skoglund teaming with Ellery. That's a combination I really like the look of but in all disciplines none of the four have easy draws. To me that is a benefit as they will run right into top form if they survive section play.

In singles Ellery strikes Danny Delany and Skoglund of the North Island bowls dynasty faces Terry Scott from an equally famous family in the South. For Skoglund and Ellery the match ups continue in pairs where they face Peter Belliss and Lance Tasker. Horgan and Cooley will get a real hurry-up from Paritutu's John Reid and Darrin Goodin and Terrace End's Brian Looker and Scruff Anderson will also fancy their chances against them.

Chris Barrett has been in top form skipping teams to defeat Horgan in finals of their club triples and fours and I expect him to respond to the environment in singles play. Amongst his draw is another top flight bowler in Richard Girvan.

I would expect Robyn Schischka, Feona Sayles, Sheryn Blake, Anna Davis and Ngaire Cowen to feature well in the women's singles but once again there are some huge match-ups. Schischka faces Kaaren Guilford from Johnsonville second up and Margaret Aldrich meets both Clare McCaul and Ra Walker.

In pairs Schischka teams with ex Northern bowler Sue Way and the section will include the sister act of Davis and Jacinta Cousins along with Sayles and her partner Anne Bateman of Hikurangi. None will clash however. In the fours there are four sections and our three teams are all in section one. Sayles will play in a composite team with Bateman and two Carlton-Cornwall bowlers. Teams skipped by Davis and Schischka will clash in round two and all teams will face several local teams. I can see Blake's team of Walker, Georgie Kahui-Rogers and Julianne Mills being extra competitive.

A good tournament to look forward to and you can follow our bowlers fortunes daily on the Bowls New Zealand website.

There will only a week's break and the Taranaki Men's open will be played and we will have 14 fours there and many will have already played the Nationals. More of that tournament later.

• Bowls lost a fantastic stalwart with the recent passing of Shirley Newman. Shirley took up the game in the early 1980s and was a good enough bowler to win two centre titles but it was administration and selecting where her greatest influence was felt. She held most positions in her Terrace End Bowling club being president for some years and became a life member for her service.

Shirley spent a long time as a member of the Centre executive and was vice-president until this season and was selector for some years helping to mould the careers of many talented bowlers.

Her type of dedication is a rarity and will be hard to replace.

Good bowling in the new year.

Tony Jensen

Thanks Tony.

Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page. I have posted pictures of some of our recent Club Championship winners. http://www.facebook.com/northernbowls

Happy New Year to you all!

Update 18^th  December 2012.

Several Finals were played at Northern over the weekend. Here are a few of the Winners.

Keith won the Under 10 Year Singles

Feona won the Senior Ladies Singles

Craig won the Senior Men's Singles

Graham, Philip (Skip) Derek and Neil (Scruff) Won the Senior Men's 4's

Julianne, Jacinta, Anna and Feona (Skip) won The Senior Ladies 4's

The Senior Ladies Triples final was also played and the winning team was Chris Quinn's Team of Julie Palmer, Janeen Noble and Christine Quinn (Skip).

Congratulations!

Don’t forget!

Northern Christmas Tournament and Social night 23^rd December

Play starts 1.00pm (Names in by 11:30am) followed by Christmas Meal.

A Northern Christmas party day join in the fun Santa and Merry dress up optional otherwise Club Colours or Whites.

Names on sheet for playing and meal please.

Ladies a salad dish, Men your favourite dessert.

Update 12^th  December 2012.

Bowling On – 12th December.

The World Bowls championship in Adelaide has come and gone and while New Zealand came away goldless their performance was better than some of the commentators are suggesting.

Val Smith continues to be our leading performer coming home with silver in singles and pairs, combining with Jo Edwards in the latter event. Both finals were lost to Australia and bowls like no other sport is a game where local knowledge is a huge advantage. You only have to look back to the last Worlds in New Zealand and remember how dominant our players were at home.

The women's triple of Mandy Boyd, Lisa White and Jan Khan also won silver and there must be a bitter sweet taste in the mouth of Boyd as she finished runner-up in three events at last years Nationals. Her time will come.

Our men brought home two bronze medals with one going to Shannon McIlroy in the singles. His rise to prominence continues.  The other bronze went to the triple of Ali Forsyth, Matt Gallop and Tony Grantham. Both genders continue to struggle in the fours discipline. World Bowls returns to Christchurch in 2016 and I am confident most of this team will be still together and a lot more streetwise by then.

• Manawatu has it's biggest complement of players heading to the National tournament than for many a year. The event will be staged in Taranaki from 28 December 2012 to 09 January 2013 and it is probably the attraction of relative closeness and outstanding greens that has attracted 32 men and 14 women bowlers from our Centre. I like the look of a composite team in the fours of Pat Horgan, Graeme Cooley and Ross Ellery from Palmerston North joined by Phillip Skoglund (Northern) playing at three but they have what can only be described as a draw from hell. They start with a very competitive looking Wanganui unit comprising Phil Corney, Selwyn Prescott, Tony Waikato and Phil Carey and then will be confronted by Black Jacks Ali Forsyth and Matt Gallop complemented by Lloyd Gallop and Graham Hood. They should hold out a team of New Plymouth locals but will then play Northern's Craig Gush and Cameron Nairne who team with the outstandingly performed Ray Park from Wanganui and John Walker from Browns Bay. They should get past two local sides in the last games if they are still alive and I would expect if they qualify they will be extra competitive in post section.

In singles I suggest Chris Barrett, Gush, Horgan, Ellery, Terry Johnson, Brian Looker, Adam Johnston, Darryl Johnson, Scotty McGavin, Skoglund, Brian Schischka and Grant Simms to be good chances to qualify in the mens event while Ngaire Cowen, Anna Davis, Sheryn Blake, Chris Quinn, Robyn Schischka and Feona Sayles should similarly achieve in the women's event

I am playing all disciplines myself and really look forward to the event which will be hosted by the most hospitable Centre in the country.

• Don't forget entries close for the New Year any gender Centre Triples on Monday 17th December and for the Dragonstone five year and under 2-4-2 pairs on 24 December with 6 January being the day it is played.

• Bowls lost a real good friend this week with the passing of Dannevirke's Trevor Baker. One of those people who was always toiling at something whenever you visited the club and although before my time a great lead in his day they tell me. I'll miss him, a true gentleman and thoroughly decent man.

TONY JENSEN

Thanks Tony.

Target Bowls

This Friday, December 14.

As well as money to be won on the night there will be prizes for aggregate scores, as well as spot prizes and some other fun stuff.  $5 entry with 50% paid out to the winner on the night, 30% to second and the remainder goes towards the spot prizes and surprises. Open to all – let’s see lots of you there for this final round. You may enter at any time between 4:30 and 6:30pm. A round takes approx 40 minutes to complete. Support the club and be there!

Northern Christmas Tournament and Social night 23^rd December.

Play starts 1.00pm followed by Christmas Meal.

A Northern Christmas party day join in the fun. Santa and Merry dress up optional.

Names on sheet for playing and meal please.

Ladies a salad dish, Men your favourite dessert.