Ian Lewis

Taranaki has been crowned the national under-26 bowls champions.

Grant Hassall
Sports News Taranaki

The inaugural five-a-side event, held inside at Naenae, Wellington, last weekend, saw Briar Atkinson, Aidan Zittersteijn, Luca Dobson, Nathan Goodin and Camron Horo emerge victorious in a thrilling final.

Run by the Wellington centre and endorsed by Bowls New Zealand, Taranaki’s win was an excellent result and vindication of some fine work that has gone into secondary schools and youth bowls over recent seasons.

The Revital Fertilisers/Shifty’s Sports Bar-sponsored side marched through section play brilliantly, winning eight games and drawing one from the 12 played across all four disciplines.

That placed Taranaki top and put the side against Wellington in the decider. Wellington’s side included former Black Jack Seamus Curtin and future Black Jack Finbar McGuigan.

In the pairs, Atkinson and Zittersteijn got Taranaki off to the best possible start, defeating Jordan Keene and McGuigan 19-11.

In the triples, Dobson, Goodin and skip Horo maintained their unbeaten record – finishing with two wins and two draws – when they snatched a 14-all tie against Curtin’s trio.

The second half of the decider saw the players switch to singles and fours.

Atkinson met McGuigan, who had inflicted the only on her in section play. Atkinson put on a strong display, leading 15-8 in the race to 21. McGuigan, though, got aggressive, turning the game around and eventually prevailed 21-18.

That left the overall outcome down to the fours clash. Zittersteijn skipped the quartet, which had won every game in qualifying. It held an 11-8 lead with two ends remaining. On the penultimate head, Taranaki held two further shots before Curtin, the 2022 Dominion pairs winner, took the point with his last bowl, reducing the deficit to two.

Wellington called the tune on the last end, holding three shots, before Zittersteijn’s last-bowl drive dislodged the jack to the boundary. After the umpire had ruled the jack dead, it was placed on the 2m mark.

Fortunately, Zittersteijn’s drive had removed one of the Wellington back bowls, leaving the Capital with only two shots after the placement. That meant the game finished 11-all, and because of the superior differential from the pairs win, the title belonged to Taranaki.

“We are delighted with the outcome,” selector/manager Simon Rowe said. “The team gelled really well.”

Meanwhile, Taranaki failed to advance from the qualifying rounds in the national champion-of-champions pairs and triples during the past two weekends in Dunedin.

Zittersteijn and Daryl Read (Paritutu) managed two wins from four in the men’s pairs, as did Fitzroy’s Maree Gadsby and Faye Gecse.

In the men’s triples, Kevan Sellers, Phil Huwyler and Kaylin Huwyler lost their opening two games to bow out, while Taranaki’s champions in the women’s event did not venture south.

The fours are on this weekend in Auckland.

Could Taranaki Host the Commonwealth Games?
Will Johnston
Sports News Taranaki

Taranaki’s business and sporting leaders believe the region’s sports facilities could host events during the Commonwealth Games, but investment is needed by the government to get them up to a standard.

New Zealand has taken a tentative step to bid for hosting rights during the 2034 instalment, with competitions to potentially take place across multiple cities and regions. It moves away from the traditional format where one city hosts the entire Games.

Taranaki has hosted many national and international events over the years at facilities like Yarrow Stadium, TSB Stadium, Port Taranaki and Stratford’s hockey turf putting the region in a good position to host events.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom agrees but said more is required to get the venues up to standard.

“We’ve got experience hosting big cultural and sporting events in the district, we have passionate hospitality and accommodation providers who would relish the opportunity along with the substantive economic benefits,” he said.

“They [facilities] would require investment to meet Games requirements, and this would need to be fully funded by central government, which receives the largest portion of income from international visitors,” he said.

Holdom has no doubt that if the region got the chance to host events, it would be a success and the province would work together to make it an amazing experience.

Taranaki Chamber of Commerce chief executive Arun Chaudhari said the region could deliver “the goods” in the time frame.

“Infrastructure would get a huge boost. Taranaki’s hospo, accommodation and retail would welcome the prospect.”

Sport Taranaki chief executive Michael Carr said it’s early days, but the prospect is exciting.

“It will depend on the scope, one of the challenges is how far they will go out of the main centres, at this point we don’t know,” he said. “But there are a number of venues used in national competitions now that we would be in a reasonably strong position to host.”

He said if there are improvements to venues, they will need to be available for the community to use post the Games.

The region’s lawn bowls facilities earned top praise from Bowls New Zealand when Taranaki will host the Dominion fours and mixed pairs next year, making it an ideal location for the sport. 

“That’s a big tick in Bowls New Zealand’s book,” said Bowls Taranaki chairman Robert Wolfe.

He said not only could the facilities cope with the influx of players, but the conditions would also suit.

“With the climate being conducive to playing the game and the type of greens that have been manufactured here over the years, they’ve certainly stood the test of time.”

Taranaki is used to hosting large bowls events. Earlier this year, 182 teams and 200 extra players compared to last season were involved in the annual Taranaki Open. Some even came from Australia. “If the organisation, playing facilities and greens weren’t up to standard, they wouldn’t come here,” Wolfe said.

We are pleased to announce Midlands Funds Management as a major sponsor of Bowls Taranaki. 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. If you would like to know more about them and their financial products take a look at their website www.midlandsfundsmanagement.co.nz

Entry Forms for the Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours and The Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours are now available.

Please note: You can pay via internet banking and send the form back to us by email or post, or alternatively fill out the form on the website and pay by credit card.

You can download and print entry forms below:

The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours Entry Form

Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours Entry Form