Update 30^th  December  2014.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

Manawatu has been slow to join the national trend towards artificial greens, with the Tiger Turf at Takaro the only local example of the species. Despite the obvious savings in greenkeepers’ wages and the potential for Winter bar turnover, the reasons for this have been generally sound. This region’s natural greens have long been among the very best in the country, and it’s well accepted that the first problem-free artificial surface has yet to be created. However, there is another synthetic surface tucked away on the fringes of the city which more than justifies its existence, despite being a mini-version with only three rinks. This is the green found at the Julia Wallace Retirement Village, where a small group of residents sharpen their skills on a regular basis. Bevan Hyde, many times a Manawatu representative and title winner at Northern, probably has the best track record of the group. It also includes a highly talented veteran who helped inflict a lot of pain on my team in a recent Skoglund Triples clash between traditional rivals Northern and Palmerston North. This is Noel Kensington, patriarch of a family of outstanding sportsmen. Noel has been a member at Northern continuously since 1946. His forte was tennis, and, with son Bruce, followed by grandson Michael, he began a remarkable extended era of domination of the honours board by the Kensingtons. Returning to Bowls though, Noel remains an outstanding Lead in any company, and he certainly sowed the seeds of our demise in fast, windy conditions. Playing in the middle of Noel’s team under Skip Colin Lozell that day was another formidable opponent with superior sports credentials in Ron Sandilands. Ron has long been a respected figure in both Table Tennis and Badminton circles, and has represented New Zealand in several sports. He has joined the bowling ranks only in recent years, but brings a wealth of sports wisdom to the greens.

Yet another tough competitor from Northern whom I’ve battled in recent weeks is Ann Corlett. This time a highly prized Christmas ham was on the line, and it didn’t take long to find out why Ann is the most recent bowler in the Centre to join the coveted list of Gold Star holders. Her crucial fifth victory came with the side skipped by Liz Rossiter that won the Pathways Open Fours, and it was only last year that Ann also reached Regional level when she won the 2x4x2 Pairs with Doug Hayward.   

Thanks Denis.

A happy and a safe New Year to all.