Lawn Bowls

Our AGM will be held, 9.30am on Saturday 24th June 2023 at Stratford-Avon BC.

President, Vice-President and 3 board members to be elected. Applications for the Centre Board close on the 1st of May. Notices of Motion from clubs to be received by the 1st of May, as well as Nominations for Men’s and Women’s Selectors to be received by the 18th of May.

All Welcome.

Taranaki’s bid for glory at the New Zealand intercentre event in Christchurch is over.

There was some merit in the efforts of both the Revital Fertilisers Taranaki men, who made the quarterfinals, and the women, who effectively fell just one game short of the playoffs.

The men qualified second in their section, after four wins and two losses. The losses came against section winner Central Otago and the West Coast.

Dean Elgar led the way with five wins from six, an excellent return which included a win over two-time Dominion singles winner Shaun Scott.

The pair of Craig De Faria and Maurice Symes won four, while the fours of Adam Collins, Aidan Zittersteijn, Steve Walker and Hamish Kape won four and drew one.

Taranaki matched off with the strong Wellington side in the quarterfinals on late Saturday afternoon.

For nigh on the first hour, Elgar had parity in his singles game against Blackjack Raymond Martin, the scores being locked at 6-all. But Martin pushed away to 14-9 in front before finishing the contest off with a single, consecutive fours and a two.

De Faria and Symes had an excellent tussle with Stephen Ditfort and Andrew Kelly, who while still living in Christchurch turned out for Wellington. Coming from 7-0 down, De Faria and Symes edged in front, but they dropped a three on the home straight, eventually falling 18-14.

Kape’s four, playing Robbie Bird, Finbar McGuigan, Caleb Hope and Blake Signal, also had a close, tense match. But they too went down 14-9.

In the final wash-up in their section, the Taranaki women won two matches from five, which included a 2-1 loss to Marlborough in the final round. One further win there would have secured that match and seen Taranaki through.

Briar Atkinson won two games from five and finished with a positive differential, but was left to rue losses by two points and one point on the second day. Her only loss on the first day was 25-18 to North Harbour’s unbeaten Selina Goddard, defeat only coming after Atkinson had put up a bold show and Goddard had used weight late twice in the encounter to score a four and a three.

Taranaki’s pair of Susan Cottam and Trish Howard opened with a strong win, but found the going too tough after that, losing the last four.

The experienced four of Chris Commane, Rhonda Adams, Kristin Stampa and Val Symes had a positive return of three wins.

The finals of the Auto City Men’s Christmas Pairs will be played on Anzac Day , Tuesday 25th April at West End.

Please note the start time will now be 8.30am.

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Weather is clear in Stratford-Avon and Inglewood.

Play is expected to start on time at 9.00am.

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West End’s Dean Elgar and Paritutu’s Darren Goodin have had many top games against one another over the years.

But Monday’s final in the Taranaki men’s open singles would have to take the cake.

The duo, along with Craig De Faria, have dominated men’s singles in Taranaki bowls over the past 20 years.

And that was easy to understand why when Elgar and Goodin went point-for-point in the final of Janko Computers-sponsored event. Elgar got the glory, 21-20, but the abiding memory will be of the quality of the encounter.

It was, undoubtedly, the most intense, accurate clash between the two and those same adjectives would also apply to men’s open singles finales in the province.

Elgar’s victory gave him his seventh open singles title and his 17th in total. But at no point did he ever feel comfortable of victory, in the match that was played inside at Paritutu, after heavy rain at lunchtime saw the final transferred.

While both players scored a four each, no one was able to string a succession of ends together, such was the quality of the opponent.

That was best exemplified on the 26th end. Goodin had taken a two on the previous head – falling marginally short with his last bowl to miss victory – to lead 20-19.

On the 26th, three of the first four bowls were touchers. Goodin then ran the jack into the ditch, although was a little frustrated that the jack partially shaded off an Elgar bowl. Goodin still had shot, about 1m away. Elgar drew the shot, Goodin bettered it, and then Elgar, with his last, glanced off his third bowl to roll in to make it 20-all.

Goodin killed the next end. On the replay, Elgar drew close with his first, which remained the shot throughout.

In the semifinals at Oakura, Elgar came from 14-11 down to beat Paul Howell (Inglewood) 21-15, while Goodin accounted for Bruce Lilley (West End) 21-8.

Meanwhile, in the Jean Sandel-sponsored women’s open singles, which was also finalised inside, Paritutu’s Briar Atkinson beat Fitzroy’s Val Symes 21-9 in the decider.

It was Atkinson’s first open singles crown and third gold-star qualifying point. But assuming she sticks with Taranaki bowls, the calculators will be required within the next 30 years.

Symes led 5-0 early in the final, but by the time she scored, Atkinson had raced through to 10. That trend continued over the subsequent heads, with Atkinson drawing most consistently.

In the semifinals, at West End, Atkinson beat Susan Cottam (West End0 21-16, while Symes edged Gale Fache (Paritutu) 21-18.

Unfortunately, the rain has denied us. So the Jean Sandel-sponsored women’s Open singles final and the Janko Computers-sponsored men’s Open singles final have been transferred to Paritutu. The women’s final is between Val Symes and Briar Atkinson. The men’s final is between Darren Goodin and Dean Elgar.

Our Under 18’s Bowls kicks off again for Term 1. It starts on Wednesday 8th March at New Plymouth Bowling Club. It’s free and kids any age are welcome. Come and try a new sport for all ages, boys and girls. Sessions run from 4pm – 5pm.

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Congratulations to Tower, Inglewood and Rahotu, winners of their respective divisions of MiLife Men’s Shield Bowls.

Good luck to everyone involved with the final. Due to be played at Pihama on Saturday 8th April.

Thanks to all the clubs and volunteers for hosting and we look forward to crowning a champion later this year.