Taranaki take on Waikato on the 5th and 6th of September for the Ron Buchan plate. Congratulations to the following players selected.
Taranaki Men at Waikato – Frankton Junction Seniors: Cam Horo, Daryl Read, Adam Collins, Jason Peters, Kelly Hill, Nigel Berry, Nathan Goodin, Steve Temperton, Manager: Kevan Sellers Selector: John Gray
Development: Ross Sinclair, Shae Fleming, Ian Dawson, Jimmy Quay, Chris Ropitini, Cody Hall, Craig Murray, Joel Chard, Trevor Taunt, Paul Spurdle, Steve Fevre, Craig O’Sullivan Manager: Kevin Gledhill
Unavailable/rested: Bruce Colgan, Darren Goodin, Craig De Faria, Kurt Smith, Blair Clarke, Gavin Benton, Simon Rowe
Taranaki Women versus Waikato – Paritutu Seniors: Kristin Stampa, Tina Atkinson-Watt, Monique Bastin, Shona Lawn, Alethea Rowlands, Cindy Gray, Irene Taunt, Rita Davey, Trish Howard, Gale Fache Manager: Cathy Andrews Selector: Chris Commane
Unavailable/rested: Bridget Fletcher, Susan Cottam, Jasmine Merrick, Briar Atkinson
Full results from the Women’s fixture will be available on our website. Results for the Men’s fixture will be available through BowlsHub from Bowls Waikato.
Bowls Taranaki is launching an exciting new youth‑focused tournament — the Vic Blance Challenge — designed to grow the game and inspire the next generation of bowlers.
Bowls Taranaki is proud to announce the inaugural Vic Blance Challenge, a fresh and energetic tournament created to promote lawn bowls to new and emerging players aged 21 years or younger. This event celebrates accessibility, youth development, and the welcoming spirit of our bowls community.
The Vic Blance Challenge invites Men’s, Women’s, or Mixed teams of three, playing 2‑bowl triples, with one requirement:
At least one player must be 21 years old or younger on the day.
This format encourages clubs, families, and friends to team up and support young bowlers as they develop their skills in a fun, competitive, and inclusive environment. The event is open to all — brand‑new players and existing members alike.
Venue: Indoor Stadium, Paritutu Bowling Club, 445 St Aubyn Street, New Plymouth
Entry Fee: $5 per person
Extras: BBQ food included, cash prizes
Equipment: Bowls provided
Footwear: Flat‑soled shoes required
Contact Person: Kevin Gledhill – 0272620239
All proceeds from the Vic Blance Challenge will directly support youth bowls programmes across Taranaki, helping us grow participation, strengthen pathways, and nurture the next generation of provincial representatives.
The Vic Blance Challenge honours the legacy of Vic Blance by championing the future of our sport: young people discovering bowls, learning the game, and becoming part of our community.
The Coaches Association are putting on some free coaching on the 29th August from 10am-12pm at Paritutu indoor stadium for all 1-5 year bowlers and also new bowlers. They will be covering Laws and Etiquette on the green also skills and the basics of bowling. Will finish off with a game
If interested, please confirm to Janice 0274490734 or Rhonda 0273494448 by 24th August if attending.
New Plymouth bowler Kurt Smith has won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Smith teamed with Hasting’s Mark Noble to make the final of the Para men’s pairs.
But the final was one hurdle too far, with the duo going down to Australia’s Damien Delgado and James Reynolds 8-1, 7-2.
Despite the defeat, Smith was thrilled with the silver achievement, a feat that had captured the attention of many in Taranaki. And deservedly so. Smith had an outstanding tournament, with many observers rating him the best of the five New Zealand leads on display throughout the carnival, including able-body players Tony Grantham and Seline Goddard.
Smith debunked the truism that pairs is a leads game in the final. While Delgado played very well, Smith held the shot on eight of the 10 ends. Reynolds, though, consistently converted the head, with some impeccable play.
Luck was on Reynolds’ side on the opening end twice, when attacking play saw the Australians grab a three. It set the tone for set one.
The second set was much tighter, with Australia just one point in front playing the last end.
After losing their opening game to Australia in a tiebreaker, Smith and Noble won their next three. Aan academic fifth-round loss to England was soon forgotten when the result was reversed 6-5, 5-3 in the semifinals.
Smith admitted after the final that he would have “signed the dotted line” had he been offered a silver medal a few months ago. The support he has received had been huge.
“The phone has been blowing up the whole time. I haven’t been able to keep up with it. A big thank you to all my friends and family back home for all those messages and support. It’s been unreal.”
After the medal ceremony, Smith admitted to feeling emotional. “It’s all just surreal. Just a real special moment. I’ve got a couple of family members in the crowd,” he said. “I’m getting ready to go home and see the rest of my family and friends. It will be awesome.”
A refrigeration engineer, educated at Francis Douglas Memorial College, Smith took up bowls with the Oakura club in 2015. The 36-year-old won the Taranaki junior singles in 2020 and has been a regular member of representative sides, initially with the development and latterly the seniors.
Since becoming part of the Bowls NZ high performance system, his growth has been immense. Among his 2025 achievements were a bronze in the World Cup pairs and victories in the NZ para pairs, the NZ interclub with Paritutu, and the Taranaki champion-of-champions pairs.
Smith’s grandfather, Ron, played bowls at the Toko and Stratford clubs and was runner-up in the 2000 champion-of-champions triples. Brother Chad currently plays for Waimea while father Wayne, a vocal member of the crowd greenside in Glasgow, intends to play this coming season.
In attending the Games, Smith became the eighth Taranaki bowler to do so, and the third one to win silver.
After winning gold in 1974, Dave Baldwin took silver in 1978, a feat repeated four years later when women were introduced to the festival, with Pearl Dymond part of the triples team. Aidan Zittersteijn, representing the Cook Islands, won a bronze in the men’s pairs in 2018.
Other past competitors have included Stratford baker Edward Leach (1930), Maurice Symes and John Murtagh (1986) and Brian Baldwin (1998). Symes, who has been involved in the coaching of Smith over recent times, won a bronze in the pairs in 1990. He was then living in Wellington.
Interested in playing the sport of Bowls? Think you have the skills to win and be the best?
Bowls Taranaki are hosting a free coaching session at the Indoor Stadium at Paritutu, Tuesday 4th August 2026 from 5-7pm. For anyone aged 13-26. Please register through our website: https://taranakibowls.co.nz/youth-bowls-2/
Bowls will be provided, just please wear some flat soled shoes or sneakers. For more information contact the Centre Office.
Follow our Bowls New Zealand Team and Kurt Smith (Paritutu/Oakura) as they chase the medals in Glasgow, Scotland.
Para Men’s Pairs (B6-8) Kurt Smith, Mark Noble 29th July – 6.15am v Australia 29th July – 23.45pm v South Africa 30th July – 19.30pm v Scotland 31st July – 20.55pm v Singapore 1st August – 23.45pm v England 2nd August – Semifinals and Finals: tbc
Coverage is broadcast on Sky Sports with additional free to air coverage on Three. Schedule correct as of 23rd July: olympic.org.nz
Congratulations to the following players who have been selected to represent Taranaki.
Our Men’s sides start their pre-season programme with a fixture against Whanganui in August, and our Under 26s side have been selected to represent Taranaki in the National Under 26s at Naenae in late August. Our Women’s sides will be selected after pre-season events have been held against Whanganui.
Senior Men: Camron Horo, Darren Goodin, Craig De Faria, Adam Collins, Kelly Hill, Daryl Read, Kurt Smith, Bruce Colgan, Nigel Berry, Jason Peters, Steve Temperton, Nathan Goodin. Selector: John Gray Manager: Kevan Sellers
Development Men: Ross Sinclair, Shae Fleming, Ian Dawson, Blair Clark, Gavin Benton, Simon Rowe, Steve Fevre, Joel Chard, Jimmy Quay, Craig O’Sullivan, Chris Ropitini, Craig Murray, Paul Spurdle, Trevor Taunt, Cody Hall Selector: John Gray Manager: Kevin Gledhill
Following our Bowls Taranaki Centre AGM, we are pleased to announce our new board for the 2026-27 season.
Robert Wolfe takes over as President, with Grant Hassall as Chairman and Vice-President. We also welcome Neville Nodder and Kevin Gledhill as new appointments to the Bowls Taranaki Board for the 2026-27 season. Thanks to Val McEldowney and Kristin Stampa for their efforts on the board.
We would also like to announce the appointment of Kevan Sellers as our Under 26s Selector/Manager and Densie Heaven as our Women’s Development Manager.
Bowls Taranaki Centre Board for 2026-27 President Robert Wolfe
Vice President Grant Hassall
Chairman Grant Hassall
Board Members Chris Commane, Dean File, Kevin Gledhill, Kevin Gray, Neville Nodder
Bowls Taranaki is pleased to advise that we have been working on modernising our historical and administrative records. Over recent months, we have undertaken to digitise our Centre records, ensuring they are preserved, accessible, and easy to navigate for anyone. Our Centre Titles, Players and Interclub winners are now available to search directly through the Bowls Taranaki website.
In addition to this work, the Bowls Taranaki website has been updated to include a dedicated page for every affiliated club. These pages provide a centralised space to showcase club achievements, milestones, and newsworthy events — such as centennial celebrations or ‘Club of the Year’ honours. Each club page includes contact details, links to official Facebook pages, and a list of published news stories. These will grow with news stories over time. This means that each club will have a presence online, fully searchable via Google, offering clubs increased visibility online.
Clubs are encouraged to share media coverage, or notable achievements when they come to hand, so these can be added to their page. Both the Centre Records and individual club pages will continue to evolve as information is collected. Feel free to check out the website.
