Update 22^nd October  2015.

Final Blog update.

Unless there is someone else out there who wishes to continue with this blog, this will be the final update.

(if someone out there is interested in continuing with it, let me know.)

I will now be limiting any postings of Club news, events, pictures and the like to our Facebook page only.

”Northern Bowling Club Palmerston North”

http://www.facebook.com/northernbowls

Please have a look at the page and (Like it).

You will then be able to keep up with what is happening at the Club.

 You will also be able to comment on any postings and make posts yourself.

If you don’t already have your own Facebook account, you may have to set one up.

If anyone needs help in doing this, I can help.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

The re-appearance after an absence of many seasons of Wayne Sellars in the colours of Johnston Park will add considerable spice to the Men’s Interclub series played over two consecutive Saturdays in November. Playing then out of Northern , Wayne took up the sport at a young age and became one of the undoubted stars who made Manawatu a major force in national Bowls during the golden era of the 1970’s and 80’s. Finishing with a double Gold Star and twelve Centre titles, he formed a lethal combination in Fours and especially in Pairs with his legendary father, Vic. However, Wayne’s Singles record in his heyday also ranked with the very best. He was unbeaten in the  solo position when Manawatu won the Rothmans national Inter-Centre title at Christchurch in 1980, ran second in the fabled Manawatu Lion Masters, and also won the Manawatu Open title when it drew a heavily loaded field of close to 200 entrants. Wayne represented the North Island, and at one stage was in serious contention for the national side. The game has changed during Wayne’s long period off the scene , with the advent of narrower drawing bowls and the more direct style of play that they bring, so he will face a real challenge in re-establishing himself among the elite. Free now of work commitments, he will lead in the Pairs for Tony Jensen at the sharp end of a likely-looking Johnston Park team that has seasoned campaigner Stephen Love playing the Singles. The Four is Skipped by Keith Walker, with Simon Westby, Colin Commerford and Terry Puklowski in front.

With the Palmerston Norh side announced some time ago, the remaining men’s teams who will contest Division 1 were unknown at time of writing. Hot off the press though was word of the Terrace End women’s team which will defend the title they won with plenty to spare last season. Mere Fryer, unbeaten in last season’s Inter-Centre finals, will play Singles, with Georgie Kahui-Rogers and Lynlea Rogers contesting the Pairs. Sheryn Blake will Skip the Terrace End Four, with the evergreen Bev Budd at Third. Taking care of the front end will be Ailsa Lindsay and Julia Wood.

Thanks Denis.

Notes of interest from the Club Captain.

G and G McKenzie Mixed Pairs

Unfortunately had to be cancelled.  Hoping to re-schedule this for later in the season

L.J Hooker Any Gender Open Triples – Thursday October 29

This is the first of our Thursday Open Triples and we hope that there will be many Northern entries. Sign up form in the clubhouse.

Labour Weekend Centre 2x4x2 Pairs – good luck to the Northern teams who have entered.

Weekend of October 31 – November 1

There are no scheduled bowling events listed in the handbooks for this weekend, but our match committee and selector have organised the following –

Saturday October 31 – Club roll up, 12:30 start. Names in by 12:00pm please. Teams will be drawn and organised depending on number of entries. This is an opportunity for all club members to get together and enjoy an afternoon’s bowls. There will be a sign up sheet for this on the notice board. Mufti dress.

Julia Wallace Ladies Gala Triples at Northern - Monday November 2.

A signup sheet is on the board. Your entries please. Donations of groceries etc. to help with the raffle prizes will be much appreciated. Please leave in the club rooms.

Bowler – Non Bowler

Following last season’s successful Bowler /Non Bowler competition we have decided to run this again for four weeks beginning on Wednesday November 18 at 5:45pm. This is an opportunity for all of our club members to introduce a family member, workmate, neighbour etc  to the game of bowls by having them play with you in a fun competition run over 4 Wednesday evenings. Please consider who you could ask to join you, and we will be asking for entries and sign ups after Labour weekend.

Social Activities

Housie – I will be running a Housie night this coming Friday (October 23) starting at 5:00pm.

Target Bowls – this will be run on the following Friday (October 30)

Lucky Jackpot - this is drawn every Friday at 6:00pm and will also kick off this Friday. All members (financial) have a club number and if this is drawn and you are present, the jackpot is yours.

Quiz Night – yes the great Northern Quiz night returns on Friday December 4.

Teams to be a maximum of 6 people and a minimum of 4. $5 per person to enter; Lots of spot and fun prizes as well as the main prize for the winning team. Special prize for the best dressed team – fancy dress not compulsory but does add a lot of fun to the evening. Pizza will be available for dinner at 6:30pm with the Quiz to start at 7:15approx. More info to follow but now is the time to think about getting your team organised. The quiz is open to all so we encourage you to bring family, friends, neighbours or workmates or ask them to make up teams of their own. Other bowling clubs in town will be invited to enter teams – please check with your friends in the other clubs to make sure that they have heard about the quiz.

Update 8^th October  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

Palmerston North’s Ross Ellery found the going tough in Malaysia at the international event which he has recently been competing in . Ross gained entry with his win in last season’s National Club Singles and travelled with the Women’s winner, Sandra Keith, formerly of Ashburton and now playing out of Allenton. Ross is not the first to discover the problems posed in that region by unfamiliar and very slow surfaces, intense humidity and the growing power in the game of many Asian nations. He qualified for post-section play with two hard-fought wins, only to be beaten 17-16 and eliminated by the Philippines representative. With Keith, he was also knocked out of the Mixed Pairs event in the first knockout round. The pain of Ross’s loss may be eased when he reflects that several of the wins that took him to Malaysia were also achieved by narrow margins, and that differences in player ability at international level are often very fine indeed. He will return to discover that the Palmerston North club’s selectors have again named him to play Singles in the top grade of this year’s Interclub. The rest of his team, the only one confirmed for the competition as yet, features Terry Johnson Skipping the Pair with Dean Gilshnan, and Pat Horgan Skipping a Four that includes Chris Barrett, Brian Looker and Graeme Cooley.

Both Men’s and Women’s Manawatu teams finished in the lower positions at the recent Inter-Centre Under 5 Years rep match played annually at Wanganui.  This event is played on artificial surfaces at the old Wanganui club that much more experienced players have found challenging, but of course it is often observed that the conditions are the same for all competitors.

The annual tournament  in support of the local Rescue Helicopter operation will be held at Palmerston North this Saturday, October 10th, and further entries are needed. This is an ‘Any Gender’ Triples tournament, played in mufti, and the cause is obviously a very worthy one.

Thanks Denis.

Notes from the Club Captain

Fellow Bowlers

Thanks to those of you who played in the Monaco Shield Challenge against Palmerston North on Sunday. A most enjoyable afternoon with the results not quite going our way this time. The return match is to be played in March. Congratulations to Graham Black who has been selected to play in the Men’s 8 year and under Tri Series on October 18..

Centre Mixed 2x4x2 Open Pairs

Entries for this Labour Weekend Tournament close at 5:00pm today. If you are putting in your entry at the club please make any cheques out to Northern Bowling Club and Secretary Christine will send in one payment for all entries.

Wednesday Aggregate

Remember to have your names in by 12:30pm please for these Wednesday fixtures.

Men’s Trousers and Shorts.

A minimum of 10 orders required before we can send in the order. Try on the samples in the clubrooms to determine your size.

Club Shirts

There is also a sign up for the new club shirts if you wish to order.

Up Coming Tournaments/Interclub

Please check out the notice board for a number of tournaments coming up as well as availability for Inter Club. Unfortunately last Saturday’s tournament had to be cancelled due to lack of entries. Please support the club and enter when you can.

Skog Triples and Elizabeth Walker Tuesday tournaments begin next week.

G and G McKenzie Mixed Pairs is on Sunday week, October 18.

The LJ Hooker sponsored Any Gender Open Triples is being held at Northern on Thursday October 29.

Good Bowling to you all

Doug Hayward

Club Captain

Update 23^rd  September  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

Two recently confirmed moves by top players will  make a significant impact on relative club strength in the new season. The big one is the move by Philip Skoglund to the  strong and famously cashed-up Eastbourne club, competing in the Wellington Centre’s Interclub. Eastbourne has previously imported national legend Gary Lawson and former NZ Singles champion Justin Goodwin in their quest for the kudos of being the top club in the country. Former top Manawatu player Ray Lovie also plays there, and Philip’s arrival will further add to their strength. The Wellington Interclub season is much longer than the Manawatu one, and this extended competition at a good level will appeal to Philip. Locals will surely wish him well in the light of his long and dedicated service to Manawatu. Philip’s illustrious father, the late Phil Skoglund, also trod the Wellington greens for a couple of seasons when in his prime in the early 1960’s . This was when he had just the first of his National Singles titles in his CV, and before he became established as an all-time great in the game. Just how the move will affect Philip’s representative status remains to be clarified. Northern’s ace Singles player, Terry Johnson, already a full Palmerston North member, has now made himself available to represent the Centre’s most numerous club in this season’s Interclub. These moves leave a gaping hole in the top echelon of players at Northern, and will make it a real challenge for the traditionally strong North St club to repeat last season’s success. Johnson’s shift must further position Palmerston North as favourites this season.

The recent opening of the Manawatu Centre’s season at Johnston Park was favoured by idyllic weather conditions and was greatly enjoyed by all participants. So well were the Johnston Park greens running that many of the early deliveries ended up in the ditch, and their superb condition so early in the season earned many plaudits. Johnston Park will be the venue on 18th October for an Under 8yrs representative match involving the Wairarapa, Kapiti and Manawatu Centres. This fixture will be an important part of the build-up to the national Under 8yrs event which Manawatu bypassed last season but are preparing for in earnest this time. The winners on the day were the Takaro trio of Ian Johnson, Kevin Dustin and Brian Jarvis.

Thanks Denis.

Update 11^th September  2015.

Notes of interest from the Club Captain

Opening Day

Keep fingers crossed for a fine day for our opening which is on Saturday September 19. We will be playing for the Herbert Plate with games to begin at 1:00pm. Club colours please. We plan to have the new club booklet available for you on Opening Day.

Te Raki Cup

This is to be held on Saturday September 26 at Takaro with a 10:00am start. Names on the board please or return email to me.

Men’s Pants and Shorts.

A reminder that samples of these are in the clubrooms for you to try. Please read the notes on the board carefully as they relate to the different sizing of the pants and shorts. A reminder also that the final product will be the same green as our shirts, with a back pocket on the pants as well as a permanent crease. Order form on the board.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

As a new season arrives with a menacing chill still in the air, the recipe for stemming the rapid leakage of players from our game remains as elusive as ever, but there’s no lack of positivity among the many keen bowlers looking forward to  what lies ahead in the coming months. There have been successful outcomes for locals from events played during the Winter at Hawkes Bay’s Heretaunga indoor facility and in pre-season tournaments held in the Kapiti region. Shane Rogers started last season with a run of top results, and going into the last round of the Keith Elliott VC Invitation Fours held annually at Raumati South he was right on track for something similar. Shane had a powerful line-up in front of him in the form of Scotty McGavin, Darryl Johnson and Adam Johnston, but a slip-up in the final round saw the main prize go to a side paying long odds with the bookies. This was the Terrace End combo of Scruff Anderson ,Wally Parker, Dave Gibb and Ted Hodgson – a great win for them, but then any astute Bowls watcher knows that a team with ‘Tip-Top’ at Lead will always be dangerous. In times past the Webber Shield Open Fours was a prestigious extended event not dissimilar to the Taranaki Open, and run annually by the Heretaunga Club in Hastings on its now vanished outdoor set-up. These days it’s a three day indoor event still run by Heretaunga on its new site, where Takaro’s Barry Wynks has featured in several recent finals with various combinations. This time Barry was denied by a fine performance from the Johnston Park combo of of Tony Jensen, Stephen Love, Bruce Mudgway and Bruce Harris. Later on, at the same Hastings venue, the Palmerston North Triple of Phil Austin, Dean Gilshnan and Brial Looker took out a Classic Triples event. Then, just last weekend, Dean combined with Terry Johnson to win the Plate event at the Paraparaumu Beach Club’s Invitation 2x4x2 three day Pairs tournament.

The Palmerston North club recently farewelled its long-term greenkeeper, Ken Murray, into a well-earned retirement. Having the benefit of Ken’s undoubted expertise, shrewdness and experience for so long has been a priceless asset for the Centre’s oldest club, and Ken’s replacement, Matt Van Rysewyk, will be well positioned to follow many of the guidelines left behind by Ken.

The Takaro Club is nothing if not innovative, and a current initiative there may well see a series of evening tournaments contested under floodlights during the Summer. The lighting involved will be at a level sufficient for Bowls, but not of enough brightness to create a nuisance for neighbours.

This season’s Centre programme reveals a discernible move to   hold important events later than previously, hopefully avoiding as much as possible of the wild Spring weather, but the first event of significance will again be the Pathways Mixed 2x4x2 Pairs held over Labour Weekend.

Thanks Denis.

Philip Charles (Phil) Skoglund – 

Obituary – Denis Duffy.

Philip Charles (Phil)  Skoglund, who died at his home in Palmerston North recently, displayed a high level of aptitude in many sports, but it was in Bowls that he became an icon. In the history of his chosen game, he occupies a place in the stratosphere probably shared only by former World Singles Champion Peter Belliss. His mana and charisma were such that many, including his biographer, were quite simply in awe of him, and, even in his declining years, ordinary players would regard it a personal highlight to simply play with, against or somewhere adjacent to the local legend.

Phil created his greatest legacy by being first to break down the barriers preventing younger and fitter people from playing Bowls. When he sensationally won the 1958 National Singles title after an unbeaten run of sixteen matches, his father told him to give his age to the press as twenty-one, rather than the correct twenty.  The difference was significant then, and he was already in enough trouble for arriving at the green in his father’s ministerial car. Many clubs then enforced a minimum age for members and resented the intrusion of youth, but that mindset was henceforth on the way out. Phil was the stand-out member of a remarkable Bowls dynasty that originated with his great-grandfather  and grandfather in Greymouth and Stratford respectively. However, the family flair for the sport really appeared in the next generation. His uncle, T.T. Skoglund was a Gold Star holder, twice an Empire Games representative and the standout player nationally in the 1940’s and 50’s, while his father Phil Snr (P.O.). Skoglund won thirteen  Manawatu titles and was also well respected nationally. This was the man who ultimately became Minister of Education and source of the aforementioned black ministerial car. With wife Carol, who survives him, Phil produced sons Raymond and Philip, who together won the National Pairs title in 1999. Philip (P.J.) also followed his father into the National team on several occasions, and remains today a respected presence at top level.

Phil always cared deeply for the game of Bowls, and its sharp decline more recently in numbers and popularity, though shared with other major sports, troubled him deeply. He tirelessly threw possible solutions into the public arena via a local newspaper column and then very latterly he offered his services as President of Bowls Manawatu, for the second time, in 2013/14. During his peak years, he found time to spend several terms as a  member of the former N.Z.B.A Council, and also as a National Selector.

Phil Skoglund was noted for a high backlift and silky delivery which concealed till the last second the pace of the impending shot. Once having found his line, he would use it time after time with metronomic precision. This was allied to a razor-sharp tactical brain and ice-cool temperament. These qualities were good enough to win his Northern club’s Senior Singles only months before his death, and a host of honours earlier. That first National Singles at Christchurch was followed by four more. Between 1970 and 1972 he won an amazing treble of three Singles titles in a row, the third bringing with it a Gold Star. This was in a period when ‘The Dominion’ drew huge fields, and he was never seriously troubled in a final, often annihilating his opponents in the closing rounds. There was also a hard fought Pairs victory for his Northern club in 1972 with highly talented former jockey Vic Sellars. In 1976 at Dunedin Phil astounded the pundits by taking out both the Pairs and Fours titles with a group of club players who were largely unknown and unrated at a higher level. He later pointed out that this became possible because “we were very, very compatible and this got us through under pressure.” This closed the Skoglund tally of National titles at eight, but as late as 1991 he finished second in the Fours with sons Philip and Raymond, as he had done twice with earlier teams.

The National Selectors would have seriously contravened the current prejudice against youth if they had sent Phil to the Empire Games in 1958,  and he was again overlooked for the Perth event in 1962.  It wasn’t till the inaugural World Bowls event at Sydney’s  Kyeemagh  greens in 1966 that he finally got the nod to play for New Zealand, in Singles and Pairs.  For the next quarter of a century he was selected on a regular basis for a  series of major events, but most were contested on Northern Hemisphere greens. These were  longer, lush in growth, frequently plagued by strange irregularities, and invariably much heavier than the speed expected in New Zealand. Then there was the expectation that play would continue to a rigorous schedule through often abysmal weather conditions. More recent New Zealand representatives have found ways to at least prepare soundly for these differences and so have found fewer nasty surprises in store, but throughout Phil’s era, most international play brought with it very challenging conditions.

Despite this, Phil won a Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals at World Championships. The Gold that finally crowned his Bowls career finally came at the Auckland event of 1988, when he won the Triples with Morgan Moffat and Ian Dickison.This represented a rare success for him in the north of the country, and was supplemented with the winning of one of his two World  Silver medals  in the Fours. Participation in five Commonwealth Games events brought a relatively lean return of two Bronze medals and a solitary Silver in the Fours at Edmonton, Canada, in 1978. Phil always insisted that his most memorable international outing was an extended Tour of South Africa in 1968. The locals were far too good at home, and the three Tests all 0-3 defeats, but Phil rated the total ‘package’ of the playing and touring experience on the High Veldt as an unforgettable one. His most bitter disappointment was being dropped from the team for the World Bowls back in South Africa in 1976 – a team that Vic Sellars was included in. At a local level, Phil won twenty-one Manawatu    Centre titles, and also three in Wellington while domiciled there in the early 1960’s. He was the driving force behind the creation of the Lion Masters’ Singles, an iconic and unique event which brought a dazzling array of national and overseas talent to the Manawatu and to the nation’s TV screens in the late 1970’s and early ‘80’s.

Phil Skoglund was honoured with the O.B.E. in 1988. He was a member of several National Sports Halls of Fame, including the one established quite recently by his own sport of Bowls. He has been named as an all-time Manawatu Legend of Sport, and was four times Manawatu Sportsman of the Year. His biography, written by Denis Duffy and published by Rugby Press, appeared in 1983. Phil’s passing removes a colossus from the sporting scene, both locally in Manawatu and also nationally.

A funeral service for Phil will be held in Palmerston North on Saturday 16 May 2015 at 2pm.

RIP Skog!

Update 28^th April  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

As usual, the balmy days of Autumn have arrived with the Bowls season virtually over. Hopefully, this won’t be the case next season though, with the excellent initiative to play all Champion of Champion events in April. This will significantly ease any pressure on Clubs to complete Championships when the wild Spring winds are in full force and greens not at their best. Tony Woodley’s Manawatu Centre executive has built wisely on the solid foundation left by those who preceded them. Where things have gone slightly awry in terms of playing conditions, they have listened to the players and made sound adjustments for next season. Entries are showing an upward trend and the Under Five Years Singles was an outstanding event, showcasing the talents of a large group of newer players who are keen to get involved.

I’m going to copy an idea From Wisden’s and the NZ Rugby Almanac by naming some Players of the Year and also one Promising Player. On the Women’s side, the seven players who travelled to the Christchurch Inter-Centre together with Selector Eric Watson deserve congratulations. Mere Fryer turned her Singles record around in spectacular fashion and the whole team performed above expectations. The power-packed Nelson side had to really front up to deny them a chance of a famous victory. Among the Men, the Horgan/Gilshnan Pair excelled both in Christchurch and at the Tauranga Club Nationals. Despite being cruelly denied first place in the latter only on differential, they proved themselves the equal of any Pair in the country. It’s intriguing to wonder what chance Dean Gilshnan might have of attracting the eye of the National selectors, as he has already done many times indoors. He may need to earn the Inter-Centre Singles spot and show his class there to clinch the deal. Despite finding little form in Christchurch, Ross Ellery earns a slot for turning things around in Tauranga, where his Club Singles victory gives him a third point towards a National Silver Star. Ross coped successfully with foul weather forcing players to transfer to an indoor venue in Hamilton where play continued into the small hours. Philip Skoglund has to be a Player of the Year, not for anything special this season, but for continuing to provide the glue of skill and experience that holds the Inter- Centre side together year after year. Philip has been doing the business for Manawatu at top level across all three disciplines for a very long time. My last Player of the Year is Shane Rogers, mainly for his spectacular early season form when he plundered two Centre titles from under the noses of the top Wanganui bowlers. The Wanganui performance at Christchurch showed that winning in the River City  is a big ask for an outsider. I continue to hope that somehow Shane can be brought inside the selectorial tent in future years. He’s simply too good to not be involved.  My Promising player of 2014/15 will make his mark in the big-time before very long. Phil Austin, ex-Dunedin and now at Palmerston North, won two Centre Underage Singles events this year without a loss. He comes highly recommended by Dunedin’s Ken  ‘Stalker’ Walker,  and is playing P.B.A. events through the Winter to gain invaluable further experience.

Brian Gemmell was ‘fizzing’ after running fifth nationally in the Corner to Corner finals held recently at Birkenhead. This is a novelty event which is great value for both clubs and individuals, being open to non-bowlers to have a go.

Final results from the Skoglund Triples provided by Stan Goston show both Northern teams occupying the top places in the main event. Foxton and Beach takes out the Jack Griggs Cup for Division 2, and Ashhurst the MacKenzie Cup for Division 3. It’s unusual to see the strong and usually well performed Palmerston North Club in the bottom half of all three events.

 Thanks Denis.

Update 22^nd March  2015.

Congratulations to the 2015 Manawatu  Ladies Masters Team for winning their Tournament last week.

We believe this is the first time Manawatu Ladies have won this tournament.

The Team! 

(Click the image to enlarge it,)

Update 17^th March  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

The strong feeling ‘around the traps’ from the moment that Dean Gilshnan first stepped onto a bowling green was that he would rapidly emerge as an outstanding champion. This process is now well under way. When he completed his first Gold Star last weekend by winning the Champion of Champions Singles, Dean left no doubt that he is already a competitor of rare ability and temperament. This was his second title of the season, and he was also very close to the elusive Singles double, having earlier lost the Open Singles final to Ross Ellery. He already has two Open Pairs titles with Pat Horgan, and this lethal combination will shortly take on the best in the country at the National Inter-Centre event. In the Women’s Singles event, Northern’s Liz Rossiter staged a miraculous comeback to survive the first round, and she also fought came back strongly in the final against Terrace End’s Mere Fryer. However, Mere steadied the ship when it mattered to take out the Noreen McMurtrie Memorial Cup.

Many local bowlers will recall Ian Lewis, who played briefly at Palmerston North after beginning Bowls in Taranaki. Ian is still assisting with Bowls websites in the Manawatu, and is now playing out of Opononi in the Far North. This isolated spot was once home to ‘Opo’ the Friendly Dolphin, and features one of the country’s most picturesque green locations. Ian recently won the local Champion of Champions Senior Singles title 21-20, after a desperate battle with Dan Dickison, nephew of past Games Singles Gold Medallist Ian Dickison.

Visitors to various local clubs may have recently taken part in or watched a strange variant of the game – Corner to Corner. This is a contest to finish closest to a mark on the far corner of a green, having delivered a bowl from the opposite corner. Given the distance to be covered, an intriguing mix of skill, brute force and luck is involved, and Bowls NZ has promoted a national Corner to Corner competition. It offers attractive cash prizes for both individuals and clubs, with generous sponsorship from Grants Whiskey. Local bowlers in Bob Caldwell from Bulls and Palmerston North’s Brian Gemmell have both qualified for the national final by demonstrating their accuracy at Wanganui’s Aramoho green. Best wishes go to both for the big event.

Three teams representing the Takaro Branch of the CT Club travelled south to Invercargill recently for the CT Nationals, no doubt lured by the prospect of copious supplies of the various local delicacies. The champions were Brent Mason’s local combination of Ron Henn, Alan ‘Bones’ Burton and Ken Grant, with Ian Johnson’s local team beating the champs first-up and finishing second overall. Among other notable winners lately are Eric Watson and Brian Henn, who took out the Centre’s relatively new ‘Any Gender’ Over 65yrs Pairs event for the third time in its brief history.

Evergreen organiser of the local Hospice Tournament, Barry Gush, has stepped up yet again to run another very successful event. The details of the final cheque for the Hospice are not yet finalised, but support of this annual event was again outstanding.

This column will now not re-appear until mid-April, as the writer will be visiting family in Japan.

 Thanks Denis.

Update 3^rd March  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

The biggest club-organised tournament in the country has been in full swing this week. With seventy-eight teams in the field , this is the Palmerston North Club’s thirty-first Golden Oldies tournament. The event has enjoyed a charmed life over its first three decades, in that it has yet to experience any significant interruption from the weather gods. Its early years saw a remarkable period of domination by two legendary Skips – one local and one from Taranaki. Between the beginning in 1985 and 1991, only Vic Sellars and Dave Baldwin mounted the winner’s rostrum with their teams. Then followed an outstanding ‘threepeat’ of wins by Ray Dunn’s side from the host club. Since then, multiple wins have been few, and the current title-holders have returned with the same side, Skipped by Levin Central’s Ian Mahoney. The Golden Oldies is an iconic event which has managed to retain support through difficult times, and the Palmerston North club is proud to host its flagship tournament once again.

After a week of intense regional competition on the flawless greens at Gisborne Bowling Club, Manawatu managed to secure three spots in the Tauranga based national finals from a possible eleven. This is a mildly disappointing return in a region which is clearly not quite as competitive as some of the other five. However, our three winners came through only after some really tough contests and nailbiting differential-based outcomes. Congratulations go to Ross Ellery in Singles, the Pat Horgan/Dean Gilshnan Pair and Brian Little’s Four which included the Henn brothers and Eric Watson. Little was a replacement for the injured Brian Looker. The Singles and Pair have been rewarded by Selector Sharon Sims with the same positions in the Inter-Centre team for Christchurch.

Last weekend’s Under 5 Years Singles was an unqualified success. I was amazed to witness an apparent miracle as the requisite twenty-four markers somehow appeared for duty across the whole eight rounds, all of which were played to a finish by the eager field of novices. Special congratulations go to the unbeaten prizewinners, Phil Austin of Palmerston North and Dave Adams of Takaro, while two others merit special mention. These are Bevan Burt from the host club and Johnston Park’s Greg Oldridge. Burt was squeezed out of the prizemoney spots on differential, despite winning eight from eight, and Oldridge dropped only two games all weekend after taking up Bowls a mere four months ago.

Skoglund Triples Supremo Stan Goston reports that the field will now split into three sections of eight teams, which will begin Round 2 on March 10th. The Jack Tucker Trophy for Round One goes to Northern Gold with 99 points, who won narrowly from Terrace End Gold on 95, and Takaro A on 93.

Thanks Denis.

Update 24^th February  2015.

Good luck to the Northern Interclub Teams at Gisborne this weekend.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

A moment of hope and optimism about the future of our sport is welcome in these days of relentlessly declining membership. The huge response to the Centre’s promotion of an ‘Under 5 Years’ Experience/ Any Gender’ Open Singles has provided just that! Forty-eight starters will line up at the Terrace End greens next Saturday – a number that easily exceeds entries in the Open Men’s Singles held earlier in the season. Centre officials have responded well by devising a format that guarantees all entrants two solid days of competitive play. Players will be allocated on their first day performance to one of three divisions, each of which will offer cash prizes for the two best performed players, with the top section obviously attracting the best reward. However, at this early stage, finding out where you stand against your peers is usually incentive enough. It’s obvious that the problem Bowls faces in attracting new players is more than matched by the greater challenge of keeping them involved long-term. The Centre is to be congratulated for coming up with a format which maximises the chances of doing just that. Singles events with substantial entries do bring with them the  significant problem of finding enough markers. Twenty-four markers for each of two days is a very big ask, and all bowlers with time to spare next weekend are urged to make their availability known to Centre Manager Vern Sixtus.

The Manawatu performance in last weekend’s Hexagonal event was a little disappointing, especially for the Women, and especially after such a strong showing on foreign greens in the recent Quadrangular. At time of writing, Sharon Sims had not unveiled her elite seven who will contest the Inter-Centre finals in Christchurch. Women’s selector Eric Watson was happy to guarantee passage to his potent Four Skipped by Chris Quinn and including Liz Rossiter, Robyn Schishska and Janeen Noble, but was still pondering the key Singles and Pairs positions. In the Men’s competition, Wellington simply swept their opposition aside. Unbeaten  ‘B’ Singles player Laurie Guy produced the only flawless record in the tournament, thereby underlying the in-depth strength of the capital. A period of sparse success for them at the top level could be about to end. This pundit also needs to acknowledge the fine performance by Kapiti, whose chances he had not fancied at all.

Some faces not seen in the Manawatu for decades were spotted among the weekend spectators. One belonged to Andrew Seator, briefly a national representative while playing out of Palmerston North in the late 1980’s and very early ‘90’s. Phil Skoglund Snr was also delighted to catch up with Errol Barron, a team-mate when he was briefly domiciled in Wellington in the late 1960’s. Errol’s father, Jeff, went to two Empire Games in national colours, and he was present to support son Neil, the ‘B’ Singles player for Hawkes Bay. Both Andrew and Errol have spent many years now ‘across the ditch’. 

Thanks Denis.

Update 10^th February  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

Winning all four available titles – Singles, Pairs, Triples and Fours, in the same season is a very rare feat, especially in a large and ultra-competitive club. However, a recent news clipping out of Brisbane announces that the elusive clean sweep has been achieved at the Wellington Point club by a ‘Kiwi Gun’. It turns out that the ‘gun’ is former Manawatu maestro Peter Shaw. Peter has only recently returned to the game after an extended break while he sorted out some physical issues. His latest accolade will come as no surprise in this area, where his status as one of the very best bowlers to emerge locally is well recognised. Peter made his mark locally as ‘the Fuehrer’, a Skip who demanded and usually received only the highest standards of performance from his players. He was successful in all the disciplines, and his National Gold Star was earned with five titles in a relatively short period, including both Open and Champion of Champion Singles. He never quite nailed down a regular spot in National teams, but did win a bronze medal the first time he was selected. This was in the Fours event at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, where he played Second in a team led by local legend Phil Skoglund, and including Kevin Darling and Stewart McConnell. His undoubted mana at the top level was later recognised by appointments as a National Selector and Coach. Peter may have further years at the top level ahead of him, and his progress in the more populous and cut-throat world of Australian Bowls will be worth watching.

Peter Shaw cut his teeth on the Palmerston North greens, and the Centre’s biggest club could be witnessing the emergence of a new star at present. Mike Abraham, who began playing at Terrace End, reached the National Club Championship finals with Pat Horgan’s Four last year and has performed well in Sharon Sims’s rep. team. He has picked up a further two Club titles this season, and it’s his victory in last weekend’s Pairs final that has the critics taking serious notice. Mike has proved himself as a Lead, but this win saw him Skipping impressively with the evergreen Eric Watson at Lead. Perhaps Trevor Butcher and Paul Rowe had done the ‘hard yards’ by taking both lives from obvious favourites Horgan and Dean Gilshnan, but Abraham and Watson completed the job unbeaten, always an impressive feat. Eric’s win was one for the statisticians as well. I had to search several honours boards to discover that his last Pairs title was back in 1989 with former Test cricketer Peter Petherick. 

On the wider club front, it’s good to see the spectacular new look in evidence at Takaro, where building improvements are well advanced.  Centre President Tony Woodley also reports very favourably on a recent visit to the high veldt at Kimbolton. Our most far-flung outpost has returned to the Centre events schedule under the leadership of Dennis Shaw, and the green there is in fine condition, while the best of country hospitality is always guaranteed.

Thanks Denis.

Update 27^th January  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

The probability of drawing two specific marbles randomly from a barrel containing forty-four is obviously very small indeed. Gamblers would not fancy the odds, and mathematicians would confirm their doubts. Yet it happened just like that when the post-section draw for the Taranaki Open Fours took place last week. The scarcely believable result was that Philip Skoglund’s team found themselves immediately drawn against their clubmates from Northern, skipped by Doug Hayward. It must have been a bitter disappointment for both teams, but especially for the Skoglund side containing three of their illustrious family, which had impressively racked up seven straight wins in their section, without playing the final game. The Hayward side had to start as underdogs, but they looked the better team throughout and won impressively. It was an unfortunate anti-climax to end a satisfying week for the Skoglunds and Craig Gush. However, huge credit must go to Doug Hayward, Derek McKee, Des Meyer and Paul Darbyshire, who then took the bit firmly between their teeth and advanced confidently to the next round. The highly dangerous Tauranga Four led by the long experience of Peter Clark blocked the path to the last 16, but this hurdle was safely overcome. Next up were two former Manawatu players, Dean Elgar Skipping and Cameron Nairne Leading, in a West End team rated as a big local chance, but they too succumbed in a tight struggle, and the Hayward side had reached the heady heights of the Quarter-Final. Lying in wait there were the uber-consistent Settle brothers of Hinuera, winners the previous year, and this time the Hayward side dipped out with all flags still nailed to the mast. It was a fine showing by a team hardly noticed by this pundit in his preview. The final outcome of this iconic tournament was a ‘feel good’ story too, with the very able Roger Hassall finally crossing the line in his fifth final, while Paritutu team-mates Sanger and Skip Goodin also had multiple runner-up trophies in their possession. Only Lead Alan Batley had won previously, and that was many years back. Statisticians would have marvelled at the Paritutu side’s Quarter-Final win by 16-15 – a total of thirty-one shots scored over twenty six ends, including an extra end. Clearly, nothing was conceded easily in that one!

In one of the most impressive Representative outings in years, the Manawatu Men’s and Women’s sides simply swept aside the opposition in comfortably winning last weekend’s Quadrangular at Naenae. This bodes well for the big stuff later on, but with one proviso. Wairarapa is palpably weak, and Kapiti mediocre at present. That leaves Wellington, where the Women are always strong but the Men are seldom taken too seriously when Inter-Centre time arrives, Our selectors are largely getting it right, but there is much tougher opposition than this to come.

Thanks Denis.

Update 14^th January  2015.

Further comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

As expected, Eric Watson’s Women’s team for the Quadrangular is based around the powerful Terrace End trio who have been dominant throughout the season so far. Sheryn Blake and Georgie Kahui-Rogers combine in the Green Pair, while Mere Fryer takes on the Singles spot. The strong Northern duo of Chris Quinn and Liz Rossiter is in charge of the Green Four, with Janeen Noble at Lead and Robyn Schishka in the Second position. The White team has Robyn McGregor playing Singles, while Lynlea Rogers, Elza Lindsay and Tina Varta are new faces at this level. Joan Ware, Tania Harris and Nola Urbahn fill the remaining places.

Thirteen Manawatu teams are contesting the 110th Taranaki Open Fours next week. The presence of the Skoglund family trio of Phil Snr, Philip and Raymond, skipped by previous winner Craig Gush, will attract a lot of interest in the ‘Naki, especially with Raymond returning to serious competition after a long break. Brian Little’s Palmerston North team of the Henn brothers and Ian Monaghan will also have targets on their backs after getting close to winning the tournament several times in recent seasons. The late withdrawal of Mark Noble because of his mother’s illness has forced a re-arrangement of Barry Wynks’s strong Takaro side which includes Terry Rossiter and Terry Curtis. Lindsay Toms of Palmerston North will fill the gap vacated by Noble. Taranaki pundits who scrutinise the other ten Manawatu teams may remember that in recent times Takaro’s Jim Munn has seriously challenged legendary player and  eventual winner in that year, Gary Lawson. Jim’s side includes Brent Mason, who won the Open Pairs which is run in conjunction with the Fours in 2007 with Clark Norris.

Thanks Denis.

Update 13^th January  2015.

Comment on Bowls   by Denis Duffy.

Men’s selector Sharon Sims has unveiled her teams for the Quadrangular later this month and they contain plenty  for a pundit to chew over. The Green side looks like a shadow Inter-Centre team and I’m delighted to see Shane Rogers unleashed as the Singles player. My predecessor in this role once borrowed the jargon term ‘unruly’ from the racing world to describe Shane. This was not an unfair assessment at the time, but when I marked a couple of Singles matches for him in last season’s Hexagonal event I also saw episodes of rare brilliance. Shane is a top player who is currently reaching the peak of his powers and now is the right time to trust him in the Singles ‘hot seat’. Pat Horgan and Dean Gilshnan pick themselves as the front-line Pair and will prove to be a major strength. Philip Skoglund and Mark Noble haven’t played a lot together as yet, but their selections in control of the Green Four will surprise no-one. Ross Ellery is the answer to the perennial search for a quality Fours Lead and of course he is a well proven Singles exponent if a need should arise. On recent form, Graeme Cooley must be a little fortunate to be the seventh member of the top side.

The White team features new faces at this level. Ray Boffa brings massive experience to the Singles berth and Jason Moore will lead well for Chris Barrett in the Pair. Adam Johnston and Mike Abraham, both younger players, have earned their spots in Brian Looker’s Four. There are question marks around this side though. I’m very surprised to find Barry Wynks relegated to Second in the White Four, playing behind Adam, while Terry Curtis must be dead unlucky to miss selection after playing a major role in the Mark Noble Triple’s unbeaten winning run last weekend.

Eric Watson’s Women’s side was unavailable at time of writing.

Thanks Denis.