2.00pm 21/01/2026 – Day 3 Weather Update: Heavy Rain in New Plymouth has flooded greens. Afternoon Play has been abandoned. Round 4 & 5 will be played tomorrow at your scheduled day 4 venues. It is now 3 wins out of 5 to qualify. All Thursday morning games must be played.
Lawn Bowls
The wind has arrived to help keep the rain at bay, although we are still expecting some moisture. Players are required to report as scheduled by 9am to day three venues. The belief at this stage is that all venues will start on time.
In the meantime, below is today’s newsletter:
Click here for day two’s newsletter:
20/01/2026 Weather Update
7:00am – Light Rain, all players please report to their venues.
8.30am – Play has been delayed until 10am, conditions will be assessed between then.
10.00am – Play has been delayed.
12.30am – Play has been abandoned for the day. 9.00am Start tomorrow at your Day 3 venue.
Welcome to the 121st Devon Hotel Taranaki men’s Open fours. For day one’s newsletter click here:
For any team travelling to Stratford-Avon, please note that Regan Street will be closed for road maintenance from Monday 19th January – Friday 23rd January.
Please use the alternative entrance for Stratford-Avon (to the back green) from Hamlet Street. Parking is available, lookout for the sign posted ‘Stratford-Avon Bowling Club’ at 29 Hamlet Street.
It took three attempts from New Zealand bowls coach Michael Kernaghan before Rahotu’s Camron Horo decided to answer his telephone late on the evening of January 13.
Thankfully, Kernaghan had enough resolve to keep trying and thankfully Horo eventually plucked up enough courage to answer the call from a number unknown to him.
Horo was half-asleep, which partly explained why he couldn’t believe the news: he had been selected to represent the Black Jacks at the Nations Cup in Kaula Lumpur on February 15-18.
It means that Horo, aged just 20 years, will become a full-international, following a rapid rise in recent seasons.
New Zealand are sending six men and three women to the event, in what many are considering is the final trial before the side for the Commonwealth Games, which commences on July 23 in Glasgow, is selected. Three men and three women will make that trip, plus Para players, which will almost certainly include Oakura’s Kurt Smith.
“I couldn’t sleep afterwards,” Horo, who is in his eighth season of bowls, said. “I’m pretty stoked. It is very unexpected. I didn’t think it would happen this quick.”
Horo will lead in the pairs in the New Zealand Silver side for Australian-based Ali Forsyth. Shannon McIlroy, New Zealand’s singles player at the past three Commonwealth Games, will play the four-bowl discipline.
In the Black team, Aiden Takarua plays with the singles, with Tony Grantham and Keanu Darby the pair.
The New Zealand women’s team predictably contains established internationals Tayla Bruce, Selina Goddard and Katelyn Inch.
Horo, who splits his time between the Rahotu and Paritutu clubs, has collated an impressive CV in his relatively short tenure in bowls. He has four Taranaki titles, including last year’s open singles, has represented New Zealand Maori side at the 2024 Oceania Challenge, has won back-to-back New Zealand under-21 titles, and then performed with distinction at the world indoor championships in Ireland late last year.
There he won the mixed pairs with Briar Atkinson and narrowly lost the semifinals in the men’s singles. He was also Taranaki’s best-performed player at the recent Dominion in Christchurch, making the quarterfinals of the singles.
Horo becomes the 119th man capped for New Zealand and the eighth to achieve the feat while affiliated to Taranaki. The others have been Edward Leach (cap 4), Bill MacArthur (49), Dave Baldwin (51), John Murtagh (60), Jim Christie (68), Maurice Symes (71) and Brian Baldwin (86).
Work commitments means that Horo is not taking part in this week’s Open fours.
Sports News Taranaki – Grant Hassall
https://sportsnewstaranaki.co.nz/news-article?id=2014&fbclid=IwY2xjawPaNPJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEyN3VvRUdiQzN2NUNGaFNMc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHie1P_s1AlZQ71gJSttem0tbtNRqXALy3tZVcB5vOMPkRxDiVdfwRgK-J0V4_aem_-kS1G41uiYPzhmBC6XGwwQ
Travel Update: 14th January 2026
Please note that State Highway 3 near Ahititi and Uruti will be closed in the lead up to The Devon Hotel Taranaki Men’s Open Fours. For more information please check NZTA: https://nzta.govt.nz/projects/sh3-mangapepeke-culvert-replacement
For teams taking the scenic route via SH43 (Through Stratford and The Forgotten Highway) to New Plymouth expect some extra travel time.
From Bay of Plenty/Rotorua – allow 1hr extra
From Auckland – allow 1hr 50min extra
(Travel times according to Google)
Please be aware that there is no petrol available between Taumarunui and Stratford.
The Whangamomona Bar and Hotel has been contacted and they will be open for Food and Hospitality Saturday and Sunday. For more information and opening hours visit: https://whangamomonahotel.co.nz/
West End’s Craig De Faria warmed up for the New Zealand bowls championships in the best possible way when he won the World Series Auckland mixed pairs on Tuesday.
The pairs event has been on the Auckland calendar for 25 years, but this year carried extra meaning after its inclusion on the World Series.
This saw a number of visitors travel to the event, including Australian Barrie Lester, a former international.
De Faria and Trish Croot, who divides her time between Auckland and Kapiti, won the final 15-6 over Thames Valley-based Auckland players Adam Haywood and Jessie Macaw.
For their efforts, De Faria and Croot shared in the $3,000 first prize.
After winning five-straight in section play, the duo edged Peter and Reen Belliss 13-12 on an extra end, Lester and Ashleigh Jeffcoat 12-11 and Aiden Takarua and Rebecca Jelfs 14-11 in the preceding post section games.
De Faria drove back to New Plymouth on Wednesday and is scheduled to fly to Christchurch on Thursday for the Dominion.
His impressive form should mean he rates a good chance of going deep in the singles and pairs events.
The men start with singles on Friday, where De Faria is one of nine Taranaki players taking part, many of whom should qualify.
That group includes Bart Robertson (New Plymouth), Hamish Kape (Okato) and Camron Horo (Rahotu).
A surprise entry in the singles is from Stefan McCartain, playing under the banner of Hawera Park.
McCartain has virtually played no competitive bowls since he did the champion-of-champions singles and pairs double in October 2020. But there is no denying his talent as a bowler.
De Faria again teams up in the pairs with John Roberts, after they made the semifinals in Auckland 12 months ago. Kape links again with Kaylin Huwyler, who like Aidan Zittersteijn, has made the trip over the Tasman.
Zittersteijn plays with Oakura’s Kurt Smith in the pairs. Prior to that, Smith will endeavour to defend his Para pairs title with Teri Blackbourn.
Rahotu’s Shae Fleming and Opunake’s Ross Sinclair combine in the pairs, too, and both have enough ability to advance through the qualifying rounds in both disciplines.
Oakura’s Jimmy Quay also competes, pairing with talented Aucklander Logan Clark.
Only two Taranaki players will take part in the women’s singles – Paritutu’s Amanda Crehan and Oakura’s Alesha Quay. Crehan will lead in the pairs for Gayle Melrose, a former fours winner.
The finals of the men’s singles and women’s pairs is set for January 5, with the women’s singles and men’s pairs being concluded on January 9.
Grant Hassall
Sports News Taranaki
The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours 2026 Draw is out. Good luck to all those involved. Handbooks will be available to pick up on the first day.