Lawn Bowls
Due to a couple of teams withdrawing at late notice, there have been some minor changes to the draw for The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours 2025
Section 2 – now has 12 teams instead of 14. – Teams are still in order in the draw they came out, however will play different teams on different rinks.
Section 3 – Rhonda Adams (Fitzroy) is now in section 3 instead of section 2
Section 7 – Linda Clarke (Lepperton) is now in section 7 instead of section 2
For the latest draw and results visit: The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours 2025 Draw
Thanks.
Tournament Committee
Bowls Taranaki
Yes, it is time for the annual Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours which begins Monday. And it starts with 180 teams – an increase of 14 sides on last year.
The increase in numbers is a reflection of the growing popularity of the tournament with visiting bowlers who have flocked to Taranaki from all over New Zealand, as well as six quartets from Australia. There is also a partial team from California, which is headed by former leading New Plymouth footballer Peter Ritchie.
In fact 136 teams are from outside the province – the most since 2006.
The Open remains the pinnacle in provincial bowls in New Zealand, with no other event coming close to matching it in terms of popularity and therefore size as well.
There is a combination of reasons for this – starting with the games which consist of 25 ends. All teams will play two games per day for the first four days, with those sides winning six or more games qualifying for Friday’s post section rounds.
The finals are scheduled for Sunday.
The length of those games and the qualifying rounds greatly enhance the camaraderie amongst the players which is supported in no small way by the hospitality from the host clubs.
Those same clubs, and their scores of volunteers, are the key recipe to the success of the tournament, especially those involved in maintaining the greens, which visitors inevitably rate as the best in the country. It’s another reason why so many return year after year.
And then to top it off there is the competition itself, which for the few that have been skilful and fortunate enough to win one of the great prizes in Taranaki sport over the years, there is the thrill of success.
As the 120th tournament rolls underway – with play around New Plymouth and also in Waitara, Lepperton, Inglewood, Stratford and Oakura – there will be many yearning to have their names etched into the history books and there are many prospects.
Leading visitors include Phil Todd (Johnsonville), Neville Hill (Onehunga & Districts), Billy Fulton (Henderson), Dave Walker (Tahunanui), Petar Sain (Carlton Cornwall), Dan Delany (Royal Oak) and Peter Belliss (Aramoho).
Of the 54 Taranaki teams, John Gray (Fitzroy), Scott Roberts and Grant Anderson (both Tower), Darren Goodin (Paritutu) and Craig De Faria (West End), all past winners, are favoured to make the post section rounds.
The second half of the fortnight, The Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours, commences on January 28.
Welcome to the best week of Lawn Bowls in New Zealand. Bowls Taranaki and our clubs are looking forward to hosting you. Check out our website for regular news, and results and Facebook for photos and information. The Semifinal and Final will be live streamed on Bowls New Zealand YouTube channel. If you need to contact the Tournament Committee or Centre Office at any stage during the week please call 027 757 8800.
The Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours 2025 is proudly sponsored by Midlands Funds Management with support from the Toi Foundation and Venture Taranaki
Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours – Conditions of Play
Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Men’s Open Fours – Handbook
The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours 2025 is proudly sponsored by The Devon Hotel and supported by the Toi Foundation and Venture Taranaki.
The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours – Conditions of Play
The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours – Handbook
Taranaki players will be looking to build on the province’s proud history at the New Zealand bowls championships when the event commences in Auckland on January 2.
A total of 17 players will trek north, all with aspirations of some sort, for the singles and pairs competitions. The fours and mixed pairs events will be held in Christchurch in February.
Briar Atkinson presents Taranaki’s best chance of success. She knocked loudly on the door last season, narrowly losing the pairs final with Tannih Potgieter and placing third-equal in the singles.
Atkinson should go close in both disciplines. She will lead in the pairs for Selina Goddard. The same combination will face Australia in the trans-Tasman in late January.
Goddard and Tayla Bruce, who played such a spectacular final two years ago, and reigning champion Leeane Poulson, all current Black Jacks, present the biggest hurdles for Atkinson in the singles. But the field is more open this season with Val Smith, Jo Edwards and Katelyn Inch all absent.
Taranaki will also be represented in the women’s pairs by Bridget Fletcher and Tina Atkinson-Watt, and Trish Howard and Kristin Stampa.
Atkinson-Watt also contests the singles, as does clubmate Amanda Crehan.
Dean Elgar, the winner of the men’s singles in 2017, showed enough form in the Taranaki interclub competition, to suggest that he could challenge again.
He won’t take part in the pairs, but both finalists from the recent Christmas pairs will – victors John Roberts and Craig De Faria, and the runners-up Kaylin Huwyler and Hamish Kape.
Rahotu young guns Nathan Goodin and Camron Horo are also in the field, while John Gray links up with Tauranga’s talented Dan Dickison, the 2021 Open winning skip.
Among the other Taranaki players that will feature are Kevin Gledhill, Bruce Hall and Ross Henderson.
Taranaki rates a good prospect in the disability event, where newly selected international Kurt Smith takes part in the singles and pairs. He combines in the latter with Teri Blackbourn, the winner of the world para pairs title in 2023.
The finals of the disability and women’s singles and the men’s pairs are scheduled for January 5. The disability and women’s pairs and the men’s singles will be concluded on January 9.
Grant Hassall
Courtesy of Sports News Taranaki
https://sportsnewstaranaki.co.nz/news-article?id=1874
Craig De Faria has now won 30 Taranaki bowls titles.
The West Ender achieved the milestone, the first player in the province to do so, when he skipped John Roberts to win the Christmas pairs on their home green on Saturday. It was the fourth victory for the duo in the event and Roberts’ personal overall tally moved to 28.
In the final of the Auto City-sponsored pairs they beat Kaylin Huwyler and Hamish Kape, playing under the Okato banner, 22-15.
There was double joy for West End as Lorraine Heal and Trish Howard claimed the Andersons Pies-sponsored Taranaki women’s open pairs. In a nailbiter, they edged out Fitzroy’s Judy Crawford and Rhonda Adams 22-21 in the final, played inside at Paritutu. Play had been transferred from Stratford-Avon midway through the earlier semifinals.
Roberts and Defaria, with a three, hit the lead at 8-6 after seven of the 21 ends in the final. It was a lead they did not relinquish.
While Huwyler and Kape were certainly competitive, they did not produce the same consistency that they had earlier, especially in the quarterfinals when they were completely dominant.
Two ends of the final settled the issue in the overall analysis. West End scored a drawn five on end 13, with Okato wayward. That took the score to 17-8. Huwyler and Kape replied with a three and then held a five on the next head. With the final bowl, De Faria came off the third shot to take the ace making it 18-11. Had he missed, a 17-16 scoreline would have created a grandstand finish.
As it was, the trademark steadiness of Roberts and De Faria prevailed. It gave De Faria, with his adroitness and inexorable determination, another career highlight as he hit the magic 30 mark.
It was not as clearcut in the semifinals for the victors, though. After holding a handy lead, De Faria was required to drive off one of the Paritutu bowls belonging to Don Christensen and Darren Goodin to force an extra end. And then, on the decider, De Faria had to draw the winner with his last bowl, to win 23-22.
In the other semi, Huwyler and Kape beat West End’s Bruce Colgan and Steve Walker 21-12.
The victory by Heal, her maiden Taranaki crown, and Howard, her third and all in the same event, was meritorious but not without plenty of nervous moments.
They started the final brightly, leading 10-3 through six ends. But three ends later Crawford and Adams had narrowed the margin to just one point.
Heal and Howard took the ascendancy again, creating an eight-shot advantage. They looked good, leading 20-12 after 16 ends. But Fitzroy with consecutives threes and a two brought it back to level.
West End took a brace on the penultimate, but Fitzroy held the advantage on the last head holding two, possibly three. However, Howard calmly landed among the counters to take second shot to enable her and Heal to sneak through by one point.
In the semis, West End beat Paritutu’s Briar Atkinson and Tina Atkinson-Watt 23-17 while Fitzroy defeated Paritutu’s Bridget Fletcher and Cathy Andrews 20-11.
CRAIG DE FARIA – 30 Taranaki titles
Open singles 1993, 2005, 2008, 2016, 2019 and 2020
Christmas pairs 2007, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024
Open triples 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2019
Centre/New Year fours 1997, 2008, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2024
Open fours 1987, 2019 and 2022
Champion-of-champions pairs 2007, 2011 and 2012
Champion-of-champions fours 1990, 1999 and 2017
We have some events coming up including the Men’s and Women’s Junior Hexagonal. If you would like to be involved and would like to mark some of the games of singles, or are interested in volunteering to mark from time to time, then please get in touch with the Centre Office by email.
Thanks.
I’d like to thank everyone for their time and effort this year, and wish everyone the best of luck with their bowls this season. To let you know, I will be working from home over the School Holidays. If you need to reach the Centre Office please call 027 757 8800 anytime during the week. The office at Paritutu will be open again on Friday the 17th January.
Thanks
Ian Lewis
Executive Officer
Bowls Taranaki
The Draw for The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours 2025 has been made. We have 88 teams contesting the Women’s event this year, and welcome a new team from Australia and new teams from all across New Zealand. Good luck to all involved.
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The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours 2025 Draw
Bowls Taranaki and our Open Fours events are proudly sponsored by The Devon Hotel, Midlands Funds Management, Auto City and supported by the Toi Foundation and Venture Taranaki.
If you need to update your team listing please email the Centre Office.