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.