Ian Lewis

History made by Fitzroy bowler

Monday, Apr 28 2025 – Sports News Taranaki

Grant Hassall

Fitzroy’s Paul Spurdle created bowls history on Saturday when he claimed two Taranaki titles in one day.

The feat was achieved in the Suchy & Co Realty champion-of-champions finals day at Stratford-Avon and while there have been other players also win multiple events on one day, Spurdle is the first to do it as a first-year player.

The first victory came in men’s fours final, where Spurdle combined with substitute Simon Rowe, Chris Campny and skip John Gray to beat Darren Goodin’s Paritutu four. The Fitzroy quartet gave as good as they got and while they were aided by one fortuitous Gray drive, deservedly pulled a five on the penultimate end to win 16-12.

Spurdle’s second triumph came in the men’s triples, where with Mark Hawken and Maurice Symes, they beat Kaylin Huwyler’s Paritutu side 17-16 on an extra end. Huwyler’s trio was aiming for an unprecedent three-peat, and that appeared inevitable as they shot to an 8-2 lead in the final. But the veteran Symes kept his team in the game, and after he encouraged his front two to reach the head, they responded better.

Spurdle is part of Taranaki’s first-family of bowls, with three of his great-uncles, Bill, Ernie and Barney gold star holders. There was also poignancy in the fours win, with the trophy named in the memory of his great grandfather, Fred.

Finals weekend also brought career milestones for Elaine Hodge (New Plymouth) and Mark Anderson (Tower).

Hodge skipped her side of substitute Carolyn Batchelor, Anne Brophy and Margie Carey to a 20-9 win over Trish Howard’s West End team in the women’s fours final.

While Hodge had never intended to follow her late mother, Grace Green, into bowls, she eventually did and Saturday’s win qualified her for a gold star for five titles.

Her previous titles were secured in the junior singles (2010), the champion-of-champions fours (2011), the champion-of-champions triples (2012) and the open pairs last season.

Anderson skipped his brothers, Brendan and Grant, to the men’s open triples title on Sunday. They ran away from West End’s Denis Rudman, Blair Clark and Darren Scott 26-8 in the final. Appropriately, their family business, Andersons Pies, sponsored the triples, and for Mark Anderson, the victory was his 20th Taranaki crown.

Elsewhere, Hamish Kape took the senior men’s singles 21-11 from Gray, while Kristin Stampa (Stratford-Avon) won the women’s 21-14 from Chris Commane (Opunake).

Val Langton and Eileen Rothwell won the women’s pairs 20-13 from Melissa McEwen-Shepherd and Stampa, while the red-hot form of Kurt Smith and Daryl Read (Paritutu) continued when they won the men’s pairs from Levi Davis and Ross Sinclair (Opunake) 22-9.

Tower’s Alethea Rowlands, Ella Smailes and Frances Busby won the women’s triples from Cindy Nicoll’s Inglewood team 16-13, while in the Abraham’s Open triples, it was victory to Fitzroy’s Lea File, Judy Crawford and Rhonda Adams. They beat Paritutu’s Marlene McArthur, Marlene Barrowman and Heather Johns 22-16.

In the junior singles, it was a double for Opunake with Lois Debique beating Linda Kape (Okato) 21-7, and Sinclair taking the men’s.

Sinclair’s 21-16 win over Fitzroy’s Ian Dawson was arguably the highest quality game of the weekend, with the appreciative gallery enthralled.

Opunake shines in Suchy & Co Champion of Champion’s Qualifiers

Ōpunake Bowling Club player Ross Sinclair is the find of the Taranaki lawn bowls season.

Sinclair has been in such superb touch that he has played his way into the final stages of four different events, all of which scheduled to be finalised at the Stratford Avon club on April 26-27.

Sinclair’s latest success came at the weekend when he qualified for the semifinals of the triples and the pairs in the Suchy & Co champion-of-champions series.

He has previously made the junior singles final and is also in the last four of the open triples.

Cool and controlled, both in technique and temperament, the fit farmer should also have the endurance to handle such a tough programme on finals weekend. But it will be gruelling.

He comes from excellent Taranaki bowling stock. His late mother, Barbara, won nine Taranaki qualifying titles plus the 2000 New Zealand Intercentre. His father, Bob, the 1978 Christmas pairs winning skip, has had the satisfaction of watching Ross’ winning ways this season.

Ross Sinclair first got into bowls on a green located on the family property at Opua Rd and as a teenager in the mid-1980s when he joined his dad at Rahotu for three years.

Family and other sporting commitments then took precedence. He was a useful utility back for the Coastal senior rugby side before he returned to bowls, linking up with the Ōpunake club last season.

Levi Davis led in both the triples and the pairs over the weekend, with Paddy Deegan skipping the former. In both disciplines they posted wins over the highly decorated Anderson brothers from the Tower club.

Ōpunake will also feature in the women’s pairs, with Val Langton and Eileen Rothwell set to meet Melissa McEwen-Shepherd and Kristin Stampa (Stratford Avon).

Langton and Rothwell edged Althea Rowlands and Irene Taunt (Tower) 14-13 at New Plymouth on Sunday, while McEwen-Shepherd and Stampa beat Ella Smailes and Pauline Kennedy (Hawera Park) 17-12.

Grant Hassall

Paritutu win National Men’s Interclub 2025

Paritutu are back on top of New Zealand bowls. 

The club, which was renowned as the top in the country in the 1970s and 1980s, won the New Zealand interclub title in Wellington on Sunday.

The seven-man side won a thrilling final two games to one over Central Cambridge.

In the final, Dean Elgar took the singles 21-11 over Garry Cotter, but the four of John Zittersteijn, Kurt Smith, Daryl Read and Camron Horo lost 20-7 to Jesse Russell’s quartet.

That meant the title came down to the pairs, where Adam Collins and Darren Goodin were in all sorts of bother mid-game, trailing Brent Hawken (son of Geoff) and the 2019 Dominion singles winner Taylor Horn 16-5.

But they rallied, closing to one point behind. With two ends to play, Horn still led by two, before Goodin drew the shot with his last bowl on the penultimate end to take a single.

On the last end, Goodin again did the trick with his last bowl, sitting through the Central Cambridge shot to hold two. And with Horn too big with his last, the game was won 19-18 and the title was Paritutu’s to salver. Paritutu last won the men’s title in 1991, the inaugural year of the competition, and has got close on numerous occasions since, including finishing third-equal last year.

Paritutu had an excellent blend of youth, experience and talent in its side which was selected by Rodger Hassall and managed by Mike Walsh.

Elgar, with two Dominion titles and now three other national titles, handled the singles berth expertly, his only blemish in the national playoff coming in the semifinals where he bowed 21-15.

Horo’s four went through the Taranaki competition and national finals unbeaten – until the final against Central Cambridge. Finishing the season with a 10 win-one loss record is, given the quality of the opposition, worthy of a NZ title.

They were marginally bettered by the Collins and Goodin, who became the ultimate contributors. While Collins and Goodin were restricted to a draw in their opening game in the Taranaki event – ironically, against fellow Paritutu members Kevan Sellers and Steve Cottam, playing under the Vogeltown banner – they won their other 10 games to finish the season unbeaten.

Paritutu beat Riverside (Marlborough) 2-1 in the semifinals, having beaten Victoria (Wellington) 3-0 in the quarterfinals.

Heavy rain on Friday meant that the section play rounds were abridged with clubs placed into sections of three. Paritutu recorded cleansweep victories over Awamoa (North Otago) and Paraparaumu Beach.

In the women’s Paritutu lost 2-1 to Papakura and beat Geraldine 2-1. Papakura also beat Gearldine to win the section.

In the women’s final, Stoke beat Raumati 2-1.

Suchy & Co Champion of Champion’s Pairs and Triples

Congratulations to all who are involved in the upcoming Suchy & Co Champion of Champion’s events. Events will be held at the following clubs.

Men’s and Women’s Pairs – New Plymouth
Men’s Triples – Tower
Women’s Triples – Manaia

Finals for Champion of Champion’s events, Hugh Moss and Open Triples will be played over Finals weekend at Stratford-Avon.

Could all clubs please check we have received your entry and that you still intend on taking part and if their is any substitutes required. Draws for the Pairs and Triples will be published Monday. Please contact the Centre Office if your entry needs updating.

Pairs – Entries
Triples – Entries

Bowls New Zealand National Champion of Champion Events – Updated Dates and Venues

Please note there have been some changes to the Bowls New Zealand National Champion of Champion Singles, Pairs, Triples, Fours and Mixed Pairs Dates and Venues. These now differ from what is in your Centre Handbook.

DATES:
Men’s & Women’s Singles: Friday 18th – Sunday 20th July 2025
Men’s Fours: Friday 25th – Sunday 27th July 2025
Women’s Fours: Friday 1st August – Sunday 3rd August 2025
Men’s Pairs: Friday 8th August – Sunday 10th August 2025
Women’s Pairs: Friday 15th August – Sunday 17th August 2025
Men’s & Women’s Triples: Friday 22nd August – Sunday 24th August 2025
Mixed Pairs (2 x 4 x 2): Friday 29th August – Sunday 31st August 2025

VENUES:
Men’s & Women’s Singles: New Lynn Bowling Club, Auckland & Royal Oak Bowls, Auckland
Men’s Fours: Dunedin Lawn Bowls Stadium, Dunedin
Women’s Fours: Dunedin Lawn Bowls Stadium, Dunedin
Men’s Pairs: Frankton Junction Bowling Club, Hamilton
Women’s Pairs: New Lynn Bowling Club, Auckland
Men’s & Women’s Triples: New Lynn Bowling Club, Auckland & Royal Oak Bowls, Auckland
Mixed Pairs (2 x 4 x 2): Tauranga South Bowling Club, Tauranga

*Correct as per Conditions of Play 21st March 2025

Bowls Taranaki Positions Available for 2025-26

Are you passionate about the sport of Lawn Bowls? Would you be interested in working alongside us to grow the game here in Taranaki, or would you be interested in being involved with our Representative sides?

We are calling for expressions of interest for Bowls Taranaki positions for the 2025-26 season. If anyone is interested in working with Bowls Taranaki, please consider putting your name forward for one of the following positions. All nominations will be considered.

Positions include Men’s and Women’s Selector, High Performance Coach, President, Vice President and to become a Board Member. Nomination Forms are attached.

If anyone would like to discuss these roles, or what is involved, please contact the Centre Office for more information on 027 757 8800 

Nomination Forms need to be returned before 1st of May

Men’s Selector Nomination Form
Women’s Selector Nomination Form
High Performance Coach Nomination Form
Board Member Nomination Form
President Nomination Form
Vice President Nomination Form

Suchy & Co Champion of Champion’s events

Congratulations to all who are involved in the upcoming Suchy & Co Champion of Champion’s events. Events will be held at the following clubs.

Men’s Fours – Rahotu
Women’s Fours – Opunake
Men’s, Women’s and Junior Singles – West End

Men’s and Women’s Pairs – New Plymouth
Men’s Triples – Tower
Women’s Triples – Manaia

Finals for Champion of Champion’s events, Hugh Moss and Open Triples will be played over Finals weekend at Stratford-Avon.

Could all clubs please check we have received your entry and that you still intend on taking part. Entries for Triples and Pairs don’t close until the end of this month. A draw for the Fours will be made this Friday, draw for the Singles will be made the following Friday. Please contact the Centre Office if your entry needs updating.

Fours – Entries
Singles – Entries
Junior Singles – Entries

40-year drought ends for Western Division

Two long droughts ended at Paritutu on Monday when the Taranaki Open Singles bowls titles were decided.

Rahotu’s Camron Horo became the first western division member since clubmate Des Lowry triumphed in 1982 to win the coveted men’s title when he emerged victorious in a titanic final.

And in the women’s event, Briar Atkinson made it a threepeat and in doing so gave the Oakura club its first women’s centre title in 51 years.

Just like two years ago, when Dean Elgar edged Dean Goodin, spectators were treated to a high-quality men’s final, with Horo denying Paritutu’s Kaylin Huwyler, the 2024 winner, 21-20.

The pair were never separated by more than three shots in the final of the Harcourts Team Green-sponsored competition, as they took advantage of an excellent green and the calmest conditions of the long weekend.

Horo led 9-6 before Huwyler started to draw even tighter, taking the lead 16-13. But Horo became more consistent playing to the north and took a 20-17 lead. Huwyler responded with a single and a two to set up a dramatic last end.

Huwyler finished about 25cms away with his first bowl, but Horo bettered that with his first go. And with Huwyler narrowly missing with three runners, the 19-year-old Horo gained his third Taranaki title.

In the semifinals, Horo beat Steve Muller (Oakura) 21-11 and Huwyler overcame Paul Howell (Inglewood) 21-15.

Atkinson, who joined Oakura earlier in the year to re-establish the women’s section in the club, beat Trish Howard (West End) 21-11 in the final of the La Nuova-sponsored event.

Atkinson started the final with a three and led 10-6, before Howard was rewarded for some good draw play. She levelled at 10-all, but Atkinson kicked away again with two braces, and then, when leading 17-11, took a softer four to settle the issue.

Atkinson now has 11 Taranaki titles.

Sharing third was two Lepperton juniors – Shelley Baldwin and Mihi Hona. In the semis, Baldwin was defeated 21-7 by Atkinson while Hona lost 21-3 to Howard.

The last Taranaki title won by the Oakura women was Jessie Luckin and Mockie Ryan, who claimed the 1974 champion-of-champions pairs. On Ryan’s last bowl they beat Barbara Digby and the great Pearl Dymond 19-18 in the final.

Meanwhile, the Taranaki representative sides head off to the New Zealand intercentre event in Wellington this week. Play commences on Friday.

A late change sees Horo now included in the men’s seven, with John Roberts and Craig De Faria the pair. The selected four is Kelly Hill, John Gray, Steve Walker and Scott Roberts.

The women’s side is Chris Commane (singles), Rhonda Adams and Howard (pairs), Judy Crawford, Maree Gadsby, Bridget Fletcher and Gale Fache (fours).

Somewhat incredibly, just four of the selected 14 players took part in the singles.