Update 25^th November  2014.

Congratulations to the Northern Men's 2^nd  & 3^rd Div Inter-club teams on the winning of their respective competitions for the 2014 – 2015 season.

Well done!

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

Television exposure is a vital component of marketing any sport and Bowls is no exception. We get precious little, so anything we can get on air, courtesy of Sky Television, needs to be quality stuff. Over recent days the highs and lows of what does make it have been evident. The second edition of the Australian Premier League, beamed in prime time out of the palatial Pine Rivers complex near Brisbane, was largely superb. In the mix here were several ingredients that could well draw the uninitiated to the sport. First and foremost there was fierce rivalry, with play of a generally high standard. The inclusion of a quality New Zealand side competing at State rather than International level could be questioned, but at least the top Kiwis were on screen and, better still, were winning regularly. Ali Forsyth’s deadly use of the drive shot added an element of the spectacular too. Not all of the hoop-la surrounding the event would go down well on this side of the Tasman, such as the scantily clad hostesses and blatant booze promotion, but most of it is to be applauded. The use of Power Plays and the provision for substitutions and Time Out have been successfully borrowed from cricket and basketball. The players wired live to the commentators seldom have anything insightful to say, but again it adds to the sense of immediacy. Imposing a time limit for delivery of a bowl certainly prevents time-wasting, seen when the legendary Kelvin Kerkow had his missile stopped and summarily removed from the field of play for such a sin. The series did raise the old bogey of using sets to determine results. This method was tried at length and ultimately rejected over here, mainly because the player with the most points doesn’t necessarily win. Sudden death tie-breakers can be a deflating lottery for those on the wrong end of them too, but they generate excitement, and that’s what the Premier League is all about. The truly vital ingredient is star quality among the players. It’s hard to credit now that the likes of the brilliant Scot Alex Marshall, currently undisputed as the world’s best player, was once seen annually and in numbers right here in the Manawatu. Those were the sadly long gone days of the magnificent Lion Masters’ Singles. However, Marshall was somehow enticed to Brisbane atop of an impressive list of big Australian names and the silky skills of the bulky, transplanted Irishman Jeremy Henry.

Also currently screening again are the finals of the annual Trusts New Zealand Open from Henderson. I hate to say it, but this is more likely to deter new bowlers than attract them.  The finalists find themselves far from the sheltered and cosseted comforts of Pine Rivers. Often they step out into the violent gusts and squalls common at this time of year, and, when this is added to large doses of jitters at the sight of the live cameraman, the results often range from poor to disastrous. The sparsely scattered and rugged-up spectators provide no atmosphere, and the unitiated viewer must often wonder how such apparent incompetents could have reached a major final. These are players who are often very well performed within their Centres, and they can’t enjoy being seen to struggle like rank novices on camera. There have been some well fought finals of course, and the McBeth/Belliss commentary is excellent, but generally the standard of play on show is not nearly good enough to be of much value.

Congratulations must again go to the Northern club which has booked three of the four available spots at the regional Interclub finals in Gisborne. Most recently, Northern romped home in the ultra-competitive Men’s Division 2 where there were nine starters, including two from both Takaro and Palmerston North. 

    

 

Thanks Denis.