Update 28^th Jan 2013

Bowling On 28^th Jan 2013

A great month for Manawatu Bowls culminated at the weekend with Brian Little's Palmerston North team finishing runners-up in the Mens Taranaki Open.

Little's team comprised Wairarapa's leading bowler Ian Monaghan at three with the Henn Brothers Ron and Brian at two and lead. It was a bitter sweet moment as the same combination were runners-up two years ago and were outplayed by 2006 winner Grant Anderson's powerful Alton team.

Little had to get past another Manawatu combination in the semi-final. Skipped by Mark Noble and including Terry Curtis and Barry Wynks from Takaro, with Gil Candy an old playing partner of Noble from his Wellington days leading. The writing was probably on the wall when the quality of bowls in that semi was a step or two down from what Anderson was showing against John Reid a Paritutu local.

However rather than engage in any level of self flagellation both teams should be commended for getting that far in the hardest tournament to win in the country. Some 190 teams had been eliminated by that stage and the only way to lose a final is be in it.

• Meanwhile selector Eric Watson's plans were upset by the absence of Noble and Wynks when his top seven contested the annual quadrangular tournament at Masterton on the same day. The four was disrupted most with Philip Skoglund moving to skip the pair and Watson and manager Terry Puklowski filling the middle positions in the four. Manawatu finished third behind Wellington and Kapiti with Wellington looking most authoritative. The Manawatu second seven won their event so there is plenty of back-up available.

Meanwhile the Manawatu women's seven were only a point behind in second place to a star studded Wellington team. Manawatu's second team were also runner-up to Wellington albeit a distance behind.

A good shakedown with March's inter centre in mind and a further match has been arranged with Hawkes Bay and Taranaki before then.

• Northern's Hospice fundraising tournament has been rescheduled to Saturday 16 March 2013. This was caused by a clash with Regional Interclub play-offs which involve 24 Northern members. It is one of the great days of the season and last year over $7000 was raised for the Hospice. Make an effort to get a team in and it will be fantastic if we can fill three greens for the day. Organiser Barry Gush will also welcome donations towards raffles or their auction that follows the event.

• Champion of champion events commence this coming weekend with fours on Saturday at Northern (both genders) and pairs on Sunday at Terrace End. Both events should get down to finals this weekend.

• The Centre has collated some statistics from clubs on the numbers playing club championships and there would seem to be less interest in the bigger clubs where a smaller percentage of players have competed than in the minnows. This might well be an indication that lesser players feel they are only cannon fodder in the stronger clubs. As an example teams skipped by Pat Horgan and Chris Barrett were the finalists in all team events at Palmerston North and there is less and less opportunity for a bolter.

Johnston Park only had three women contest their senior singles but that wouldn't indicate a diminution of quality. Two in the form of Robyn Schischka and Lyn Jensen were winner and runner-up in last year's Manawatu Open singles. For the strongest women's team in the centre it was surprising only eight players contested the Northern singles. They have more than that number in the Manawatu team. Even if you don't particularly like singles there is no better practice for one's own game.

Good bowling.

Tony Jensen

Thanks Tony.

  

Regional Interclub Sunday 10^th March at Napier

With the club having three teams in the regional finals the Executive Committee decided that all three teams would be travelling together as a club. (No exceptions)

A bus will be arranged for all players and managers leaving Saturday.

Supporters list to fill the extra seats is on notice board.

Hopefully, the cost of Bus travel will be free but this is to be confirmed at a later date.

(Even if it is not, it will only be a small expense.)

Accommodation costs will be approximately $55 per head for the overnight stay.  

To enable the final arrangements to be made you need to have your name one the board by Friday evening.

It sounds like a great trip; I believe that there are plans afoot to have a bit of a Northern versus Napier, bowls challenge as well.

Get those names in quick.

Update 24^th Jan 2013

Grants Corner to Corner is back and its better!

The competition will now run on a FRIDAY night. It starts this Friday 25^th January from 5.30pm. If you have not had a go then this will be your chance to try it out while relaxing at the club on a Friday night. There are FOUR more Friday nights for you to win prizes, which includes your chance to compete in a regional and then National final which could win the club $3000. Both playing members AND social members can take part – so head down to the club this Friday to have fun with this competition. 

Bowling On 15^th Jan 2013

Manawatu Bowling Centre will run a Men's Open Triples this coming weekend but the folly of running such an event against the Taranaki Open has been exposed with a very disappointing entry.

Only 16 teams have entered and this includes two entries from other Centres. The answer should be obvious that when 64 Manawatu men's bowlers will be playing in the Taranaki Open from Monday they won't be entering a tournament at home. That Manawatu tournament requires them to be available on the Sunday - the day they need to travel. If a bit of thought was put into it section play could have been played on the Saturday and post section at a later date. That way many of the Taranaki travellers would have entered to get a good workout before their tournament.

This poor scheduling follows hard on the decision to run an any gender triples against the Nationals at New Year which attracted only 14 teams. Palmerston North and Northern would normally provide the bulk of entries to such an event but there are only two from each while Johnston Park provides four and Terrace also has two entries. I would be surprised if the tournament winners do not come from the teams skipped by Pat Horgan, Brian Looker, Chris Barrett and Paul Tregoweth. Horgan has Ross Ellery and Graeme Cooley in front of him who all performed well at the Nationals as did Tregoweth's front of Shane Rogers and Grant Simms. Looker won the event last season with Scruff Anderson and Clayton Simpson who are all back and Barrett has Steve Toms and the promising Dean Gilsnan playing for him.

Some quality there but a soft centre title on offer for some team.

• Hokowhitu ran their very popular mixed classic last week complete with a birthday cake to celebrate the 21st running of the event. A capacity field of 96 (24 fours) competed and the team dubbed the dream team - Kevin Suisted, Janeen Noble, Mere Fryer and Shane Rogers won first prize and the qualifying prize as well.

• Johnston Park ran a Pre Taranaki Fours tournament last weekend and attracted 56 players. Apart from a lot of good banter players loved the 25 end format and it re-affirms that fours is still a most popular game with competitive players.

• Two teams from the Manawatu that should be very competitive in Taranaki are those skipped by Barry Wynks (Takaro) and Palmerston North's Brian Little who still hopes to improve on his runners-up position from two years ago. The same players in the form of the Henn brothers Brian and Ron will join him along with Masterton's Ian Monahan. Wynks will have his regular team mate Terry Curtis with him but the other players from his original side will be missing. Lawrie Gordon was to lead until his premature passing and Terry Rossiter has also been unwell of late. Incidentally Wynks and Curtis won the Takaro pairs final at the weekend, an event that was originally to see Gordon as Wynks partner. Gary Ruane from Wellington and Mark Noble give Wynks four a real sound look.

Teams skipped by Warren Hausman, Craig Gush, Brian Schischka, Keith Walker, Jim Munn, Stephen Love and Don Sones will all have good chances of qualifying and as we all know anything can happen from there.

Good Bowling.

Tony Jensen.

Thanks Tony.

Bowling On – 9th Jan 2013

The wave of excited expectation following Manawatu bowlers at the Nationals is finally over with our last chances eliminated in the quarter-finals of the men's fours.

It was a very successful tournament for Manawatu and the Pat Horgan and Ray Lovie skipped teams continued that success by making the last eight of the fours.  Horgan had Philip Skoglund, Graeme Cooley and Ross Ellery in front of him and they did extra well to hold a star studded Richard Girvan four to 15-11 to complete a very successful nationals for all four players.

Former Manawatu bowlers Lovie and David Walker were joined by the Terrace End duo of Shane Rogers and Grant Simms in their last eight match against Brian Baldwin but a 9-21 margin shows the control the former international had on the game. It was a good ending for the four as only Rogers in singles had qualified in the earlier pairs and singles disciplines.

Our undoubted success story in the women's events was Northern's Mere Fryer who was a semi-finalist in singles, a quarter finalist in pairs with Ra Walker and also qualified in fours, the only Manawatu women's team to do so although Feona Sayles reached the last eight in a composite team. Fryer was actually a late replacement for Sheryn Blake so all the more meritorious.

A select few in the form of Cooley, Ellery, Skoglund, Horgan, Craig Gush, Tony Jensen, Cameron Nairne, Brian Schischka, Fryer and Sayles qualified in all disciplines which shows real consistency of form. Another player who boxed above his weight was Colin Cherri who qualified with Trevor Butcher in pairs and went three rounds in singles post section.

It was a most enjoyable tournament and Manawatu bowlers all but obtained an honours pass for performance. Unfortunately the cost of travel to Dunedin next season will probably dramatically restrict our entry.

• Selectors Eric Watson and Viv Lozell have named their top sevens to represent Manawatu at the National Intercentre in Auckland in March. Teams are; MEN, singles Ross Ellery, pairs, Mark Noble (s) and Craig Gush, fours, Pat Horgan (s), Philip Skoglund, Barry Wynks and Chriss Barrett. WOMEN, singles Feona Sayles, pairs, Mere Fryer (s) and Janeen Noble, fours, Sheryn Blake (s), Anna Davis, Robyn Schischka and Georgie Kahui-Rogers.

I have heard some negative comment about the men's side but don't go along with it. When you don't succeed something different is required and I can see this team imposing itself more on opposing teams than last year's seven. Form was very evidently a consideration in the women's selections and when Blake is fit again the side will be as strong as is available.

• I would have to rate the Centre's Open any gender Triples at New Year close to the failure category. A one green field is little more than a two day gala. I still can't comprehend why the Centre has abandoned the open singles and fours in favour of trying to create something for which there is no obvious demand. Fifty-six Manawatu male bowlers will head to Taranaki in less than a fortnight to play the very popular Open Fours. That is a far bigger number than lined up in a home event so something is obviously missing in attraction.  Players love the real games of 25 ends and it is a pity we aren't providing something similar.

• Manawatu lost another top bowler just before new year with the untimely passing of Takaro's Lawrie Gordon. A "professional lead", Gordon had four centre titles to his credit at the time of his passing and missed the opportunity to collect his gold star when he and Wynks lost the final of the champion of champion pairs last season to Barrett and Bob Williams. When Bob left us in October Lawrie commented that he was really glad he lost that final to give Williams his gold star as "I'll have many more opportunities". Prophetic words. Blessed with a sense of humour as dry as a desert and an unfaltering disposition Gordon will be missed by team mates and opponents alike - he was that sort of a bloke - a genuine "good bastard" to use the sort of venacular Lawrie would use himself.

Another stalwart of bowls Northern's Don Ryan also passed on about the same time. While he has been out of things for a little while he was a popular man on the greens as he was in his previous life as a TAB agent. We are losing too many.

Enjoy your bowls in the new year.

Tony Jensen

Thanks Tony.

Bowling On – 1^st Jan 2013

Special Bowls Report

In a performance any club could be justifiably proud of two Northern women turned on herculean efforts in the semi-finals of the National bowls singles at Paritutu yesterday.

Anna Davis lost 15-21 to Val McEldowney of that great Taranaki sporting family and it was a fraction of inexperience at the elite level that saw Davis concede a four to allow McEldowney to go out. Davis switched from the backhand she had played so well for the second and third bowls before reverting for last bowl but was unable to save the match.

In the other match Mere Freyer lost 14-21 to the highly ranked Reen Stratford from New Lynn and it was crucial bowl with the score at 14-11 to Freyer that turned the game. Freyer held four which would have seen her at 18-11 before Stratford drew right to the jack with her last. Stratford scored three on the next end when she again moved the jack and from then on Freyer was unable to beat her to shot.

Both games featured fabulous draw bowls throughout and the Northern pair had a huge gallery of vocal support from the other Manawatu bowlers at the tournament. Both can be immensely proud of their achievements to come away with the third equal placing.

On the adjoining green Pat Horgan and Graeme Cooley, the last of the Manawatu mens pairs alive at the tournament exited 16-12 to the highly regarded Wellington combination of Rob Ashton and Barclay Lee  in the round of sixteen. The Ashton team was in dynamic touch fresh from a win over New Zealand representative Shannon McIlroy and his lead Lance Pascoe. Lee was just too consistent up front and forced  to drive often, Horgan  got through more gaps than Tana Umaga at his best. Despite a late fightback Ashton's early lead was telling.

Tony Jensen

Thanks Tony.

Well done Anna and Mere. J