We are happy to welcome a number of new teams to Taranaki for The Devon Hotel Women’s Open Fours. At this stage entries have closed, however we are looking for one more team to prevent a bye, if you would like to visit from out of town for the tournament, we do also have some spare accommodation available. See below for the full list of teams this year. Good luck to all the teams entered.
The Devon Hotel Taranaki Women’s Open Fours Team List 2024
Lawn Bowls
Due to rain during the final days play of Vospers Women’s Interclub, Division 1 and the final of Division 2 have been rescheduled. The final games will be played on 3rd December at Manaia starting at 9am.
Final games to be completed are:
Division 1: Paritutu v Opunake, and
Division 2: Tower v Paritutu
Thanks
With the persistent rain, a full day’s play is not possible (on November 19). Please note the following:
Play in division one will occur in the Indoor Complex at Paritutu – see below for the specific times and rink allocations.
The scheduled division two final between Tower and Paritutu is postponed. A new date will be advised.
Division one schedule for 19 November 2023:
9am: Opunake v West End (rinks singles 2, pairs 3, fours 1, round 5 fixture); Fitzroy v New Plymouth (rinks singles 5, pairs 6, fours 4, round 5 fixture).
11.15am (approx.): Paritutu v Waitara (rinks singles 2, pairs 3, fours 1, round 5 fixture); Fitzroy v Opunake (rinks singles 6, pairs 4, fours 5, round 6 fixture).
2pm (approx.): Waitara v Stratford-Avon (rinks singles 3, pairs 1, fours 2, round 6 fixture); Paritutu v New Plymouth (rinks singles 6, pairs 4, fours 5, round 6 fixture).
This will leave one full round to be played – clubs will be advised in due course.
Paritutu’s Briar Atkinson has been named as the Taranaki Junior Sportswoman of the Year.
At a gala dinner for the annual Sportsperson of the Year awards held at the Devon Hotel on Friday evening, Atkinson overcame an impressive field to become the first bowler to take out the title.
Headlining an impressive 2023 for Atkinson was her victory in the New Zealand champion-of-champions singles in Hastings in July.
That victory followed Atkinson representing the New Zealand Under-26 side at the Oceania Challenge earlier in the year. There, she skipped the women’s pair to a gold medal.
Atkinson also claimed three Taranaki titles during the season – including the open and champion-of-champions singles double – on the way to collecting her gold star.
She was unable to attend the awards function as she is currently competing in the Hong Kong Classic.
However, on a video recording played during the night, Atkinson said that she was thrilled with the award, which was accepted by her mother, Tina Atkinson-Watt, in person.
Atkinson made the last 16 of the women’s singles in Hong Kong and, with Selina Goddard, is currently well-placed to qualify in the pairs.
Atkinson’s success continued a rich history for bowls at the Sportsperson of the Year awards, which were first established by Taranaki Newspapers in 1965, with Ross “Pascoe” Brown the inaugural winner.
Bowls got its first taste of success when Dave Baldwin won the title. Over the years, various additional awards have been added, such as the team title in 1991. Paritutu’s interclub side became the first winners, one of five times bowls has taken that particular award.
Bowls success at the Taranaki Sportsperson of the Year awards
Overall winner:
1974 Dave Baldwin (Commonwealth Games gold medal, Dominion fours winner)
1990 Taranaki men’s intercentre team – Brian Baldwin, Geoff Hawken, Neville Hill, Chas Candy, John Murtagh, John Lambert and Dave Baldwin (New Zealand intercentre winners)
1991 Brian Baldwin (New Zealand Superbowls and interclub winner)
1995 Brian Baldwin (Dominion singles winner)
Sportsman of the Year:
1995 Brian Baldwin (Dominion singles winner)
Sportswoman of the Year:
2005 Cathy Fleming (Dominion singles finalist, NZ interclub winner)
2013 Val McEldowney (Dominion singles winner)
Team of the Year:
1991 Paritutu men’s seven – Brian Baldwin, Bryan Sanger, John Murtagh, Alan Malloy, Gary Mounsey, John Lambert and Dave Baldwin (New Zealand interclub winners)
2003 Lepperton women’s fours – Mary Maxwell, Elaine Miller, June Ward and Ellie Goble (New Zealand women’s club fours)
2005 Paritutu women’s seven – Cathy Fleming, Heather Johns, Raewyn McEldowney, Val Keightley, Dulcie Bishop, Valda Rowan and Margaret Baldwin (New Zealand interclub winners)
2006 Alton men’s fours – Mark Anderson, John Roberts, Bruce Phillips and Grant Anderson (New Zealand men’s club fours)
2015 Taranaki men’s intercentre team – Dean Elgar, Cameron Nairne, Scott Roberts, Dennis Osborne, John Garrud, Steve Walker and Craig Johns (New Zealand intercentre winners)
Junior Sportsman of the Year:
2018 Aidan Zittersteijn (Commonwealth Games bronze medal)
Junior Sportswoman of the Year:
2023 Briar Atkinson (New Zealand club singles winner, New Zealand Under 26)
Volunteer of the Year:
1995 Gloria Bryant
Impact award:
2022 John Murtagh
Special award:
1999 Hugh Moss QSM
2003 Alan Boulton
Hall of Fame:
2012 Dave Baldwin
We are excited to welcome all of our new players and returning teams for the Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Open Fours this season. You can view all of the teams below.
We are looking for an extra team, to fill a section, so if you have missed out and want to put your team in, get in quick and contact the Centre Office on 027 757 8800. We do have some accommodation available for visiting teams, so if you would like to come to Taranaki and experience The Best Week of Bowls in New Zealand, get in touch.
Midlands Funds Management Taranaki Open Fours Teams List 2023-24
Vospers Women’s Interclub concludes this weekend at Paritutu with the remaining rounds of Division 1 and the Final of Division 2. Play will start at 9am.
If there is the prospect of rain, please check the website. The Stadium may be used if wet for Division 1.
Draws for the Final Day of Summerset Men’s Interclub and Dean File Colliers Real Estate Junior Interclub have been released. See Interclub and Shield Draws.
Congratulations to Urenui winners of the Summerset Men’s Division 3 Interclub. Their team of Terry Fieldes, Dave Johnston, Murray Dalton, Kevin McCutchan, Brian Adlam, Rick Caskey, Colin Hall, Danny O’Sullivan and Murray Blyde picked up their club’s first Men’s trophy since winning the Northern Division Shield Competition in 1996.
Revital Fertilisers Taranaki took on Whanganui today. Great results for the Men’s and Women’s Teams winning both Men’s Juniors and Seniors Trophies, and the Women winning the Junior Trophy. Whanganui took home the Senior Women’s Challenge on Points Differential. Full results through our website.
Taranaki Women’s Juniors 7-1
Taranaki Women’s Seniors 4-4
Taranaki Men’s Juniors 5-3
Taranaki Men’s Seniors 5.5-2.5
We have moved the Revital Fertilisers Taranaki Men’s Fixture against Whanganui on Saturday 11th November from Tower to Stratford-Avon due to accidental damage to the green at Tower. We’d like to thank Tower for their efforts in attempting to get their green ready, but now look forward to hosting at Stratford-Avon.
The start time for the Men has been put back half an hour to allow Whanganui to travel the extra distance. Report at 9.30am. Start time at 10am. for the Men only.
There is no change to the Women’s fixture at Manaia.
Report at 9am. Start time at 9.30am.
A host of new faces will feature in the Revital Fertilisers Taranaki representative bowls teams when they square off against Whanganui this Saturday.
There are numerous senior men unavailable for the fixture, while the trend of going with less experienced players continues with the women’s side.
In the senior men’s side, 2020 junior champion-of-champions winner Kurt Smith will make his senior debut, alongside Bruce Colgan and Steve Temperton. All three have previously been involved in the under-eights side. Colgan was also one of the under-eight players involved in September’s Waikato fixture.
Among the men not available are Hamish Kape – a quarterfinalist in both the big pro pairs and fours tournaments in Nelson over the past week – Daryl Read, Dean Elgar, Scott Roberts, Jordan Linn, Dave Wilson and Steve Walker.
The big name missing from the senior women’s squad is Briar Atkinson. She is enroute to the Hong Kong International Classic.
Alesha Quay, Amanda Crehan, Bridget Fletcher, Esther Ward-Campbell and Tina Atkinson-Watt will all step up to the senior ranks for the first time, although the majority were also involved in the Waikato event.
The one-day fixture sees the men compete at the Tower club, with the women at Manaia.
Revital Fertilisers Taranaki Senior men: Darren Goodin (Paritutu), Maurice Symes (Fitzroy), John Roberts (Tower), Aidan Zittersteijn (Paritutu), Kurt Smith (Paritutu), Bruce Colgan (West End), Craig De Faria (West End), Adam Collins (Paritutu), Steve Sabine (Inglewood), Steve Temperton (West End).
Selector: John Garrud. Team Manager: Bruce Hall.
Revital Fertilisers Taranaki eight-years-and-under men: Corey Brookes (West End), Brian Pearce (Stratford-Avon), Peter van Dyk (Inglewood), Levi Davis (Opunake), Mike Baldwin (Paritutu), Evan Jones (Fitzroy), Simon Rowe (Fitzroy), Rob Clark (Manaia), Doug Clark (Manaia), Craig Murray (Oakura). Selector: John Garrud. Team Manager: Graham Reive.
Revital Fertilisers Taranaki Senior women: Alesha Quay (Paritutu), Amanda Crehan (Paritutu), Bridget Fletcher (Paritutu), Chris Commane (Opunake), Esther Ward-Campbell (Opunake), Gale Fache (Paritutu), Jackie Moeahu (Paritutu), Leanne Halls (West End), Tina Atkinson-Watt (Paritutu) and Trish Howard (West End)
Revital Fertilisers Taranaki eight-years-and-under women: Alethea Rowlands (Tower), Gloria Wolfe (Waitara), Irene Taunt (Manaia), Janet Ravji (Stratford-Avon), Judy Crawford (Fitzroy), Linda Kape (Okato), Rita Davey (Opunake), Shelley Baldwin (Paritutu), Shelley Clark (Manaia), Sheryll Taylor (Stratford-Avon).