Bowls Taranaki have announced that the Metcalfe Real Estate Men’s Centre Fours and Vospers Women’s Interclub will start on Sunday at 12 noon to allow everyone the chance to watch the Rugby World Cup Final in the morning, before preparing, and travelling to play.
All other days scheduled will start at 9am.
Thank You.
Ian Lewis
Grant Hassall
Taranaki bowlers are riding high with a number of achievements in recent days.
At the Bowls New Zealand annual meeting on Saturday, Paritutu’s Briar Atkinson was named as the country’s Emerging Player of the year.
Atkinson’s award follows her success representing the NZ Under-26 side and winning the national champion-of-champions singles in July.
The new season promises much for her, too. In November she will attend the Hong Kong international event, having been invited by Black Jack Selina Goddard. The duo will combine in the pairs.
Following the success of the women’s side at the World Championships earlier in the month, Atkinson may struggle to break into the top-five senior side for February’s trans-Tasman. But she should be a shoe-in for the development team.
National coach Michael Kernaghan said that Atkinson is a “huge talent”.
“She’s very receptive, she listens well and she takes on board new ideas. She’s a real open book. And what’s really great, she’s keen as mustard.”
Meanwhile, in Invercargill during the weekend, two Taranaki entries succeeded in the NZ Professional Bowls Association finals.
West End’s John Roberts and Craig De Faria claimed the NZ world pairs title. With it comes an invitation to the world indoor pairs, that is scheduled to be held in England in early January. Roberts and De Faria are yet to make up their minds about venturing north for the world event, which was first held in 1986. In six of the first seven years of the event, the legendary Englishmen David Bryant and Tony Allcock won the title.
In the national final, Roberts and De Faria won in straight sets over Wellington’s Richard Corry and Ian McLeod 8-7, 8-3.
Paritutu’s Aidan Zittersteijn then took out the final of the United Kingdom singles event. That qualifies him for the UK singles in Newcastle in March 2024.
In the final Zittersteijn ousted Logan Clark (Auckland) 12-3, 4-9, 2-1.
Zittersteijn has also been selected for the NZ PBA side which is scheduled to meet its Australian counter-parts during the season.
It remains a busy time for the Paritutu greenkeeper. He has only just returned from the world championships, where his Cook Island four made the quarterfinals, being surrendering a healthy lead to lose to Scotland. Scotland in turn lost the final to Australia.
The province of Taranaki can take credit for sharing many of its sons and daughters throughout New Zealand stage. And indeed, throughout the world.
People like Peter Snell, Richard Faull, Peter Buck and Toss Woollaston were all born and bred in the ‘Naki. As was an overabundance of rugby talent: Carl Hayman, Kieran Crowley, Graham Mourie, and of course the seemingly never-ending supply of Barretts feeding the All Blacks.
It’s the same in our bowls community. Many great bowlers have emerged from Taranaki: Brian Baldwin; John Murtagh; Val McEldowney; and Pearl Dymond to name but a very, very few.
And a new name has emerged who looks set to add to that richness of bowling talent from Taranaki: Briar Atkinson. And so refreshing has her emergence been, that she has been named Bowls New Zealand’s Emerging Player of the Year in 2023.
At 19 years old, Briar already has a centre Gold Star. She’s probably the youngest Gold Star holder ever in the Taranaki Centre. Perhaps the youngest in any centre in New Zealand ever.
Playing out of the Paritutu Bowling Club in New Plymouth, Briar has also put her hand up on the national scene this last season.
In the Champion of Champion Singles in Hastings in July, beating Nicole Toomey, a dual bronze medallist from last year’s Commonwealth Games, 21-13 in the final. She was just the third Taranaki woman to win the women’s title (Grace Gillespie 1961, Pearl Dymond 1969).
In the Digicel Oceania Challenge at Blockhouse Bay in Auckland earlier this year, Briar and teammate Caitlin Thomson played in the New Zealand Under 26 team and won the Pairs. Briar also represented the Under 26’s in the Singles, but came up against a tougher draw which saw her out of the medals.
It’s a real treat for the bowls community to enjoy the emergence of such a brilliant young woman.
“She’s a young woman with huge talent,” says Bowls New Zealand’s Head Coach, Mike Kernaghan. “And she’s well coached by Maurice Symes.”
“She’s very receptive, she listens well and she takes on board new ideas. She’s a real open book. And what’s really great, she’s keen as mustard.”
Briar was introduced to the game by her mum, Tina Atkinson-Watt, who’s also a dab hand at the gentile game at Paritutu, and plays with Briar when things get serious. These days, the teenage Briar has even been handed over the skips mantle.
Briar’s been described as a Blackjack-in-waiting. And despite the talent in the current Women’s Blackjacks, she’s already lining up to be selected.
There’s plenty of time. When you’re only 19, you’ve got a heck of a lot of bowling ahead of you to show your mettle.
She’s already won Taranaki’s Women’s Player of the Year in 2023.
And with all these accolades, she has forced the hand of the selection panel to be awarded the Bowls New Zealand Women’s Emerging Player of the Year.
Congratulations Briar.
Bowls New Zealand, 18th September, 2023.
https://bowlsnewzealand.co.nz/news/emerging-player-of-the-year-briar-atkinson/
We are hosting an Open Day for Under 8 players. If you want to play in the Revital Fertilisers Junior Taranaki team or just want to test yourself against our best juniors then come along. It will be held at Stratford-Avon on Sat 30th September, 9am Start.
Bring your lunch, Register through our website, or you can register on the day. Everyone is welcome to attend and we encourage all players interested to turn up. It doesn’t matter if its only your first year, or 8th year. Our selectors will be there looking for talent!
Regsiter by clicking on the form below:
http://taranakibowls.co.nz/under-8s-registration-form
Grant Hassall
A strong showing in the final two rounds saw Taranaki overcome Waikato in a representative bowls fixture at Paritutu on Sunday.
After four rounds on Saturday, it was the visitors that held a slender advantage in both the men’s and women’s sections. But Revital Fertilisers Taranaki dominated the two rounds on Sunday to emerge victorious. Overall, Taranaki finished with 59 match points compared to Waikato’s 47. In both sections, Taranaki achieved two more wins than Waikato.
A feature of the fixture was the introduction of a minimum of three players with eight years or fewer experience in each side. It proved a resounding success, especially from a Taranaki perspective, with a number of the players stepping up.
Opunake’s Esther Ward-Campbell, who is commencing just her third season in bowls, achieved the highest percentage of success from the 39 players involved. She won four and drew one of her five games.
The four wins all came in the pairs, leading for Briar Atkinson, who illustrated that she will very much be at the cornerstone of the side for the season ahead. All of those victories were by resounding margins.
Atkinson claimed four matches from five overall, as did Amanda Crehan in a positive performance in the familiar surrounds of her own club.
Lesley Te Awa, Chris Commane and Bridget Fletcher all hit 50%, with the latter’s elevation to skipping over the closing three rounds noteworthy.
Taranaki’s cause had not been helped when Gale Fache withdrew prior to the event, but Irene Taunt, another third year player, didn’t disgrace herself with two wins and one draw.
While Waikato are nowhere near the force in women’s bowls as they were – they dominated the game in this country circa 1970-2010 – Taranaki’s youthful side should take confidence from the result.
The same could also be said of the men’s section, where new selector John Garrud was able to experiment with a number of positions and combinations.
Waikato’s Kevin Judson was the best performed male bowler on show, winning five from six. Three of those wins came with the 2019 Dominion singles winner Taylor Horn, who caused Taranaki plenty of strive in his four triumphs.
Nathan Goodin and Cameron Horo topped the Taranaki statistics with four wins from five respectively, while sharing in four wins from six games were Adam Collins, Darren Goodin, Craig De Faria and Steve Walker.
Results of the representative fixture between Revital Fertilisers Taranaki and Waikato at Paritutu on September 2-3:
Women, round 1: S Baldwin, I Taunt, A Quay, T Howard 12 M Wilson, M Hughes, G Dwayne, G Kawana 14; B Fletcher, L Te Awa, C Commane 9 L Mundell, V Coll, T Jakes 16; E Ward-Campbell, B Atkinson 25 J Holten, C Cox 10.
Round 2: B Fletcher, I Taunt, L Te Awa, T Howard 9 J Holten, L Mundell, G Dwayne, T Jakes 18; S Baldwin, B Atkinson 12 K Nepe, G Kawana 24; A Crehan, A Quay, C Commane 17 M Wilson, V Coll, C Cox 6.
Round 3: S Baldwin, A Quay, C Commane 11 K Nepe, J Holten, G Dwayne 17; E Ward-Campbell, B Atkinson 22 L Mundell, T Jakes 7; A Crehan, I Taunt, L Te Awa, T Howard 12 M Hughes, V Coll, C Cox, G Kawana 9.
Round 4: E Ward-Campbell, L Te Awa, C Commane 13 L Mundell, J Holten, G Kawana 13; A Crehan, B Fletcher 23 V Coll, G Dwayne 8; S Baldwin, I Taunt, A Quay, T Howard 11 K Nepe, M Wilson, T Jakes, C Cox 12.
Round 5: E Ward-Campbell, B Atkinson 33 K Nepe, G Kawana 5; A Crehan, S Baldwin, A Quay, T Howard 10 J Holten, M Hughes, G Dwayne, T Jakes 11; I Taunt, B Fletcher, C Commane 12 M Wilson, L Mundell, C Cox 12.
Round 6: A Crehan, S Baldwin, L Te Awa, C Commane 14 K Nepe, V Coll, G Dwayne, T Jakes 12; A Quay, I Taunt, B Fletcher 15 M Wilson, L Mundell, G Kawana 11; E Ward-Campbell, B Atkinson 27 J Holten, C Cox 8.
Women’s result: Revital Fertilisers Taranaki 29 Waikato 23.
Men, round 1: B Colgan, J Roberts, M Symes 12 K Judson, W Pakinga, G Cotter 15; D Goodin, C De Faria 17 W Bennett, T Horn 16; N Goodin, A Collins, C Horo, S Walker 22 R Beecroft, B Hagoort, B Barwood, G Bond 5.
Round 2: B Colgan, H Kape, S Walker, D Goodin 3 R Beecroft, K Judson, B Barwood, T Horn 14; N Goodin, A Collins, C De Faria 13 B Hagoort, W Pakinga, W Bennett 15; J Roberts, M Symes 15 G Cotter, G Bond 19.
Round 3: A Collins, H Kape 8 K Judson, G Cotter 15; C Horo, S Walker, M Symes 14 R Beecroft, W Pakinga, T Horn 19; J Roberts, B Colgan, C De Faria, D Goodin 24 B Hagoort, B Barwood, G Bond, W Bennett 5.
Round 4: J Roberts, A Collins, D Goodin 20 R Beecroft, W Pakinga, G Bond 11; H Kape, C De Faria 9 K Judson, T Horn 16; C Horo, N Goodin, S Walker, M Symes 17 B Barwood, B Hagoort, W Bennett, G Cotter 12.
Round 5: J Roberts, C Horo, D Goodin 15 R Beecroft, B Barwood, G Cotter 10; A Collins, M Symes 19 G Bond, W Bennett 11; B Colgan, N Goodin, S Walker, C De Faria 14 B Hagoort, K Judson, W Pakinga, T Horn 8.
Round 6: C Horo, C De Faria, M Symes 17 R Beecroft, W Pakinga, G Bond 7; N Goodin, A Collins, B Colgan, S Walker 14 B Hagoort, B Barwood, W Bennett, G Cotter 9; J Roberts, D Goodin 17 K Judson, T Horn 20.
Men’s result: Revital Fertilisers Taranaki30 Waikato 24.
Overall result: Revital Fertilisers Taranaki 59 Waikato 47.
Individual statistics:
Taranaki women: E Ward-Campbell 4.5/5, B Atkinson 4/5, A Crehan 4/5, B Fletcher 2.5/5, L Te Awa 2.5/5, C Commane 3/6, I Taunt 2.5/6, A Quay 2/6, T Howard 1/5, S Baldwin 1/6.
Waikato women: G Dwayne 4/6, T Jakes 4/6, K Nepe 3/5, J Holten 3.5/6, M Hughes 2/4, M Wilson 2.5/5, L Mundell 3/6, G Kawana 2.5/6, C Cox 1.5/6, V Coll 1/5.
Taranaki men: N Goodin 4/5, C Horo 4/5, A Collins 4/6, D Goodin 4/6, C De Faria 4/6, S Walker 4/6, B Colgan 3/5, J Roberts 3/6, M Symes 3/6, H Kape 0/3.
Waikato men: K Judson 5/6, T Horn 4/6, W Pakinga 3/6, G Cotter 3/6, R Beecroft 2/6, W Bennett 1/6, B Hagoort 1/6, B Barwood 1/6, G Bond 1/6.
Revital Fertilisers Taranaki v Waikato Results:
Taranaki Women: 29 Points +74
Waikato Women: 23 Points -74
Taranaki Men: 30 Points +43
Waikato Men: 24 Points -43
Thanks to all those who were involved in making the weekend a success and we look forward to next year’s fixture.
Centre Handbooks are with the printers and will be available from your club at the start of the season. For those wanting to view the Centre and Club Programme, you can take a look at the latest programme below. The Programme is up to date to August the 25th, 2023.
Our Revital Fertilisers Taranaki Teams have been announced for the upcoming Rep. Fixture against Waikato. Good luck to the following players selected:
Women: Amanda Crehan : Alesha Quay : Briar Atkinson : Bridget Fletcher : Chris Commane : Esther Ward-Campbell : Gale Fache : Lesley Te-Awa : Shelley Baldwin and Trish Howard.
Men: Maurice Symes, John Roberts, Darren Goodin, Craig De Faria, Hamish Kape, Steve Walker, Adam Collins, Camron Horo (J), Nathan Goodin (J) and Bruce Colgan (J)
Play will be at the Indoor Stadium at Paritutu, Saturday and Sunday 2nd & 3rd of September. Teams selected are made up of 10 players, of which 3 must be junior players. Come down and support our players against Waikato!
Bowls Taranaki Busy Over Winter – August 2023
Bowls Taranaki have been busy over the winter months preparing for the new season. Firstly, we are pleased to announce Midlands Funds Management as a major sponsor of Bowls Taranaki and the Taranaki Men’s Open Fours. We look forward to working with Midlands Funds Management over the coming years, and appreciate their support. You will see their name and logo on posters, entry forms and signage throughout the year.
We also would like to welcome on board The Devon Hotel, principal sponsor of ‘The Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours’. Working alongside The Devon Hotel, we have some exciting plans for the Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours, and look forward to another great event.
Our new board has been appointed, and we welcome Dean File, and Kristin Stampa, as Vice-President. Dean and Kristin have considerable experience in bowls and sports management, and we have already seen their skills make a positive impact around the boardroom table. We would like to thank David Brunton and Eric Foreman for their contributions. Grant Hassall continues as President, Robert Wolfe as Chairman, and Val McEldowney, Chris Commane and Kevin Gray as Board Members.
Bowls Taranaki works hard to reduce costs to clubs and members, and we compare favourably with other Centres. At our AGM, there was a small increase to the levy for membership, up to $24+GST per person. However this compares favourably with other Centres close to Taranaki who charge between $45-$55 per member.
We wish our Revital Fertilisers Taranaki Selectors and Managers all the best for the upcoming season. Don Christensen will again take charge of the women’s team, with Cindy Nicoll and John Sexton assisting. With, the men, we look forward to John Garrud taking over. John has high hopes of Taranaki taking the next step and firmly believes we have the talent to win. Bruce Hall will help with management and Graham Rieve will assist with the juniors.
Over the winter, we worked on getting a new website up and running. This will be more secure, easier to use, and is more attractive to potential sponsors, visitors and funding providers. Entries can be taken online for the Taranaki Open and live results will still be available.
Greenkeepers, Coaches and Umpires have been holding their Annual Meetings, with the Presidents for each association being duly elected. We look forward to working with Gary Lilley, Moe Kelly and David Brunton again, and know that they have a number of initiatives coming up including a Growsafe Qualification Day, Spring and Summer Field Days for Greenkeepers, and a coaching and umpires day at the start of the season. A number of new umpires have qualified for the start of the upcoming season.
Graeme Rees (Former Blackjacks Coach) and Alex Reed from Bowls NZ came to Taranaki to host a weekend for new and existing coaches. A number of new coaches went through the course, and we look forward to their contributions. Thanks to Paritutu Bowling Club for hosting and those involved.
Bowls Taranaki nominated the following for the Bowls New Zealand National Awards, Briar Atkinson, Gary Lilley, Paritutu Bowling Club and Okato Bowling Club. Awards will be announced at the Bowls New Zealand AGM via zoom. Good luck to those nominated.
We have also entered into two new Representative tournaments to provide more competition for our competitive players. Revital Fertilisers Taranaki will play Waikato on 2-3 September at Paritutu. Taranaki also featured in the first year of a National Under 26 Tournament, hosted by Bowls Wellington. A very impressive performance by our players saw them beat Wellington in the final. Congratulations to our winning team of Luca Dobson, Camron Horo, Nathan Goodin, Briar Atkinson and Aidan Zittersteijn. Thanks to Simon Rowe for selecting, managing and travelling with the team.
A huge thanks must go out to all the volunteers and workers at the clubs who are helping to prepare for the new season. There is a lot of work put in each year to help run every club and we thank everyone for preparing greens, looking after club facilities, administrating and planning for your club’s season. We appreciate your effort.
Ian Lewis
Bowls Taranaki
We are pleased to welcome on board The Devon Hotel as a major supporter of Bowls Taranaki and ‘The Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours’. The Devon Hotel & Conference Centre in New Plymouth boasts luxury accommodation and puts you on the doorstep of the CBD and New Plymouth’s most visited attractions, featuring Marbles Buffet Restaurant.
Last year, we had 336 women’s players and a large number of new teams visiting from around New Zealand for The Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours. A large number of teams are returning and we have some new teams arriving, so don’t miss out, enter online, or pay by internet banking and return an entry form to us today.
We expect this year to attract a number of new teams, who want to experience Taranaki before the Bowls New Zealand National Fours and Mixed Pairs are held in Taranaki later in the season. We are grateful for the support of Midlands Funds Management and The Devon Hotel.