Oakura

Oakura
Est. 1956
1160 South Road, Oakura, 4314

Taranaki Pair World Champs

Grant Hassall

Taranaki’s Briar Atkinson and Camron Horo are world champions.

The duo won the world indoor junior bowls mixed pairs in Ballyclare, Northern Ireland, in the early hours of Friday morning (NZT) and in doing so completed a tremendous championship that was many months in the making.

Both players excelled throughout the week, with Atkinson also taking a silver in the women’s singles and Horo a bronze in the men’s singles.

Horo, a man of few words felt that he had been “carried” by Atkinson but admitted to being “pretty stoked”.

Atkinson, was left a little disappointed after just missing out on the singles, but her achievements will sink in shortly.

While both players were selected by Bowls New Zealand for the event, they largely had to pay their own way and this was achieved through various fundraising efforts in Taranaki during the winter.

Atkinson and Horo gave the biggest thank you possible to the many who contributed with their glittering performances in Ireland.

They were ably managed by New Plymouth’s John Gray, a former Dominion fours winner, who provided the right blend of experience and enjoyment.

In the mixed pairs final, Atkinson and Horo beat Ireland’s Zoe Stratton and Daniel Spratt 7-2 9-0.

Atkinson’s accurate lead bowls gave the Kiwis the edge and Horo was able to convert and consolidate the ends into points.

Since the introduction of the mixed pairs to the event in 2004, it is the first time a New Zealand combination has triumphed.

The pairs involved 16 combinations and the Kiwis finished with six-straight wins.

In fact Atkinson’s only loss all week was in the singles final, where, somewhat unluckily, she went down to Ireland’s Lara Reany 2-6 3-4.

After conceding the first set, Atkinson dominated the play in the second.

But Reany was able to scramble, especially on the penultimate head, when she drew the shot with her last bowl when one down on the board and three down on the head. Atkinson had beaten Reany in section play on a tiebreaker.

Horo, after sneaking into the quarterfinals following three wins and two losses, was nosed out in the men’s singles semifinals 7-3 3-8 1-4 by classy Australian Joseph Clarke, the eventual champion.

They went into the last end of the tiebreaker at 1-1 and Horo slid by on the wide side with his attempts at trailing the jack.

Atkinson showed early promise at Lepperton after her late grandfather, Danny Watt, introduced her to bowls.

That talent has developed significantly now, as she divides her club bowls between Paritutu and Oakura.

A full international player, Atkinson took part in the trans-Tasman last season and is unquestionably one of the finest players in the world today.

It was former NZ coach John Murtagh who said after seeing Atkinson as a 15-year-old: “I have seen the second coming of Jo Edwards.” How true Murtagh was.

It has been a remarkable rise for Horo, an apprentice plumber from Rahotu.

He appears set for a big haul of Taranaki titles in the years ahead. But as illustrated by his victory with Paritutu in the NZ interclub in April and his outstanding showing this past week, surely his goals must have risen.

He has every chance of also becoming a full international – and a very good one at that.
Thanks to Sports News Taranaki: https://sportsnewstaranaki.co.nz/news-article?id=1996

Kurt Smith wins Bowls New Zealand National Award

It will be no surprise that Kurt Smith has been named Bowls New Zealand’s Disabilities Player of the Year.

No surprise to his home bowling club of Oakura, just down the road from New Plymouth, where Kurt lives. Nor is it a surprise to the Paritutu Bowling Club, where Kurt spreads his bowling wings to complement Oakura’s efforts to keep him competitive.

It is also no surprise to Bowls Taranaki, where Kurt has become a well-known name. Not as you might expect in para bowls, but by mixing it with the best able-bodied bowlers throughout the province.

Even the New Zealand disabled bowls community will not be surprised, as he has made an impact on and off the green. And almost certainly no surprise to followers of international disabled bowls, particularly in Australia, where they are probably already considering him an ‘Australasian,’ like pavlova and Phar Lap.

Hopefully, it will also be no surprise when he fronts up for the Blackjacks team in Kuala Lumpur for the World Cup in November.

What may be surprising to bowlers outside Taranaki is that at club and centre level, Kurt plays all his bowls alongside able-bodied bowlers. He only competes with other para bowlers at national and international levels.

Take last season for instance. At club level, he won the Paritutu Club Champ of Champ Pairs with Darryl Read. He was also selected for the Paritutu A Interclub team playing at two.

At centre level, Kurt was in the winning Centre Interclub team. He and Darryl won the Centre Champ of Champ Pairs, and he won six-and-a-half of his seven games at the Centre Octagonal.

At national level, he played in the Paritutu team that won the National Interclub title. As a para player at national level, he and Teri Blackbourn won the Summerset Open Disability Pairs.

At international level, he was selected for the Blackjacks to play in the Trans-Tasman with Teri and Mark Noble. He also qualified in the Australia Open in both the disabled Fours and the Pairs.

You would have to think that if there were an inter-planetary level in bowls, Kurt would have been there or close to it.

“It’s not just about his bowls,” says National Para Bowls Coach Kevin Smith. “He’s a wonderful person as well.

“When he received his cap as a Blackjack, he mentioned nothing about what he had done, but what his mother had done to help him overcome his cerebral palsy. At his mother’s coaxing, Kurt learned to adapt at a young age. Even today you can see that adaptability in the small things in his game, like bowling off the wrong foot or the slight pre-delivery hesitation to assure his balance. It’s amazing.

“Kurt has never let what he can’t do stop him. Instead he has always concentrated on what he can do.”

Barbara Harvey, President of the Paritutu Bowling Club, agrees.

“Off the green, he’s a wonderful club person. Despite his youth, he talks to everyone in the club. He’s friendly, respectful, and helpful. He’s always here helping if he can, either personally or through the family refrigeration and air-conditioning business.

“And on the green, he’s a wonderful team mate, inspiring those around him and keeping them focused. He’s what we all aspire to be: humble when winning and gracious in defeat. We are proud to have him in the club.”

Congratulations to Kurt Smith on being named Disabilities Player of the Year.

40-year drought ends for Western Division

Two long droughts ended at Paritutu on Monday when the Taranaki Open Singles bowls titles were decided.

Rahotu’s Camron Horo became the first western division member since clubmate Des Lowry triumphed in 1982 to win the coveted men’s title when he emerged victorious in a titanic final.

And in the women’s event, Briar Atkinson made it a threepeat and in doing so gave the Oakura club its first women’s centre title in 51 years.

Just like two years ago, when Dean Elgar edged Dean Goodin, spectators were treated to a high-quality men’s final, with Horo denying Paritutu’s Kaylin Huwyler, the 2024 winner, 21-20.

The pair were never separated by more than three shots in the final of the Harcourts Team Green-sponsored competition, as they took advantage of an excellent green and the calmest conditions of the long weekend.

Horo led 9-6 before Huwyler started to draw even tighter, taking the lead 16-13. But Horo became more consistent playing to the north and took a 20-17 lead. Huwyler responded with a single and a two to set up a dramatic last end.

Huwyler finished about 25cms away with his first bowl, but Horo bettered that with his first go. And with Huwyler narrowly missing with three runners, the 19-year-old Horo gained his third Taranaki title.

In the semifinals, Horo beat Steve Muller (Oakura) 21-11 and Huwyler overcame Paul Howell (Inglewood) 21-15.

Atkinson, who joined Oakura earlier in the year to re-establish the women’s section in the club, beat Trish Howard (West End) 21-11 in the final of the La Nuova-sponsored event.

Atkinson started the final with a three and led 10-6, before Howard was rewarded for some good draw play. She levelled at 10-all, but Atkinson kicked away again with two braces, and then, when leading 17-11, took a softer four to settle the issue.

Atkinson now has 11 Taranaki titles.

Sharing third was two Lepperton juniors – Shelley Baldwin and Mihi Hona. In the semis, Baldwin was defeated 21-7 by Atkinson while Hona lost 21-3 to Howard.

The last Taranaki title won by the Oakura women was Jessie Luckin and Mockie Ryan, who claimed the 1974 champion-of-champions pairs. On Ryan’s last bowl they beat Barbara Digby and the great Pearl Dymond 19-18 in the final.

Meanwhile, the Taranaki representative sides head off to the New Zealand intercentre event in Wellington this week. Play commences on Friday.

A late change sees Horo now included in the men’s seven, with John Roberts and Craig De Faria the pair. The selected four is Kelly Hill, John Gray, Steve Walker and Scott Roberts.

The women’s side is Chris Commane (singles), Rhonda Adams and Howard (pairs), Judy Crawford, Maree Gadsby, Bridget Fletcher and Gale Fache (fours).

Somewhat incredibly, just four of the selected 14 players took part in the singles.

Congratulations to Oakura Winners of Gilmour and Avery Competition

Congratulation to Oakura Bowling Club. Winners of this year’s 2022-23 Avery and Gilmour club competitions.

Thanks to all the volunteers, who help with the running of the tournament, and also thanks to the players for their support.

We wish you all the best for the rest of the season.