Update 7th
August 2014.
Comment on
Bowls by Denis Duffy.
Heading into a new season, Manawatu bowlers could take a moment to
reflect on two outstanding efforts by our players in recent times. The Games
silver medal won by Mark Noble and Barry Wynks was a simply superb effort, and
a well deserved one given the many hours of hours of hard work they put into their
preparation. They were very competitive in every match played, and their only
loss in the final was the result of a shaky start, with the game following a
very similar pattern to a certain recent Rugby final in Sydney. Barry and Mark
will surely acknowledge the huge part played by armless lead Lynda Bennett, who
refused to let her formidable wheelchaired South African opponent get on top of
her. Earlier on came the stellar performance by the inimitable Bev Budd on the
carpet in Dunedin, where she missed a National Club Singles title by the
narrowest of margins. Bev’s opponent, Tayla Bruce, was her junior by roughly
six decades or more and had starred at the most recent Nationals. These were
two Silver Medal results to be very proud of.
The overall performance of our teams at Glasgow though demands
closer analysis than the vague pass mark given to them by the media. The
results from the Mens’ team was mediocre, and, when put in the context of the
last five Commonwealth Games the picture that emerges is frankly woeful. The
challenge posed by the greens is real but no excuse, given the extensive
preparations that were funded and provided this time, including travel by a
full squad for practice at the Kelvingrove complex some months previously. Ali
Forsyth has the record to warrant retention, but his choice of the correct time
to drive at the head must be more judicious. Shannon McIlroy is also worth
further opportunities, although his loss of momentum at the crucial stages was
very disappointing. The rest of the squad have to go, and in searching for
replacements future selectors need to make a case to the all-powerful funding
bodies that the best bowlers don’t always fit in the more youthful bracket.
Michael Kernoghan, Rowan Brassey and, (dare I say it?) Gary Lawson, would form
the basis of a much stronger side. On the Women’s side, the picture is somewhat
more encouraging. Jo Edwards is probably our best ever female bowler and her
status is beyond question, while Val Smith disappointed this time but has the track
record. Rumours are swirling though that the two Nelson maestros may be close
to calling it a day. The youthful image of the other three players and their
taste of success will have delighted the grandees of Bowls New Zealand, but
again there are players around who may be a little longer in the tooth but who
deserve more of a chance. As I see it, the position of selection kingpin Dave
Edwards must also be very shaky.
On the local scene, outgoing Manawatu President Phil Skoglund
can’t be allowed to depart the scene without addition to his many existing
accolades. Let’s just reflect that we have here a member of the Bowls Hall of
Fame who was so highly regarded thirty years back that a publishing company
previously devoted exclusively to Rugby was prepared to publish his biography.
This was one of only three bios of bowlers to have appeared in this country so
far. That Phil was prepared to step up to the plate as President so much later
when he saw his sport in need is a measure of the man. It was obvious from the
newspaper column which he wrote previously that he had a clear view of the
desired path ahead, and although not everyone was ever going to agree with him,
nobody doubted the astuteness of his thinking. Thank you, Phil, from every
bowler in the Manawatu! The Centre’s AGM threw up the scary prospect of it
being simply too expensive for our sides to compete at the top level this
season, but again it was Phil Skoglund who argued for a stay of execution until
all possibilities of funding are exhausted. We in the Manawatu can only wonder
why our centrally located venues have now been abandoned in favour of
Christchurch where accommodation is notoriously expensive. It was a little
disappointing too to see another of Phil’s positive initiatives disappear under
the weight of parochialism. This was the idea of combining our Interclub with
Wanganui, which recognised the fact that the number of high class competitive
players across both Centres is probably fewer than many bigger Centres, and the
travel involved was reasonable. In this case at least the negativity came
primarily from the River City, where several leading players boycotted the
concept before it really had a chance.
Manawatu bowlers will have been saddened by the recent death of
popular Terrace End identity, Peter Gosley, who passed away suddenly in Fiji.
Thanks
Denis.
