upshot - october 2010

ISSUE 15 OCTOBER 2010

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THE OFFICIAL BOWLS NZ eMAGAZINE

SILvER SMITH FORGES LEGENdvAL ‘NEvER SAy dIE’ SMITH PAGE 4

Val ‘Never Say

Die’ Smith 4

Our Team’s

Performance 5

From The Eyes Of

The Media 6

Eventful Managing 7

Sports Science 9

New Uniform 9

Myth Busting 11

A Moment In

Bowls History 13

Have-A-Go At

Lawn Bowls 14-17

Focus On

Greenkeeping 18

Club Scene 19

Focus On Umpiring 21

Blind Bowls 23

Squad6

Youth Bowls 25

TV Coverage The

Magic Bullet? 26-27

issueTHIS

upshotwww.bowlsnz.co.nz


3

‘NEvER SAy dIE’SMITH

Blood, sweat, and tears, in the

strength sapping heat of India,

Val Smith undertakes a marathon

effort, playing three games a day,

dropping only one game in three

days to do the impossible and

make the Gold medal final at the

Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

after a slow start in her pool

matches.

Proving that experience does

indeed count, one of the New Zealand

Women’s team’s most experienced

players has added another medal to

her long list of achievements. This

time it was a Commonwealth Games

Silver Medal that Val Smith mounted

the podium to collect.

A member of the New Zealand

team since 2003, Smith has made

a habit of winning, and winning

consistently throughout the years.

However, this latest victory is an

impressive career highlight that leaves

no room to doubt her courage, mental

strength, and determination. Everyone

who witnessed her charge up the table

has been amazed by her stamina and

mental toughness. When the pressure

came on, Val responded the only way

she knew how; to fight for the win,

to push for victory, to never quit, to

never let up, and it was that attitude

that powered her though to the Gold

medal match up.

For coach Dave Edwards, one of

Val’s key attributes came to the fore as

she picked herself up and worked her

way back into contention in those pool

matches. “One thing about Val is just

her sheer guts and determination,” he

said. “She has a never-say-die attitude

and it got her in.”

What makes this performance

really special is when you go back to the

final day of pool play; Val had to win

those last three matches convincingly

to avoid a count back which was

unlikely to do her any favours. This is

where Val made the bowls world sit

up, take a breath and applaud; she

dominated her opposition, and won

each match in straight sets to push her

way into the quarter finals and from

there nothing and no one was going

to stop her getting to that Gold medal

match.

Val Smith is one of those

professional athletes that stand out

from the crowd, when you witness

them play, win, lose, or draw, you

can tell that they haven’t held back,

they have left nothing in the tank.

You can’t help but respect her skills,

will power, and toughness, which are

awe inspiring. This performance will

forever place her in bowls folk law, the

pint sized, gutsy, kiwi, who achieved a

minor miracle on the Bowling Greens

in Delhi.

And what has the elite bowler

got in her sights for the future?

A repeat result at the next World

Championships in Adelaide (2012) is

perhaps the only thing that could top

her Commonwealth Games effort.

Pictured above right, Val receiving

her medal; right, Val celebrating a

brilliant shot.

vAL



4

PERFORMANCEOUR TEAM’S

The results at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games were a disappointment to all involved in the High Performance program and build up for our athletes. Val Smith’s courageous efforts rewarded the team with a silver medal, which marginally improves on our performances in Melbourne four years ago.

Women’s SinglesVal Smith lost four of her first six games

in the early stages of pool play and looked down and out of contention for a playoff spot. But Val’s fighting spirit came to the fore, through dogged determination over the last two days of pool play she dropped only one game in six to go through to the knock out quarter final match. From there we witnessed the true nature of Val Smith as she fought her way through Scotland and Australia to get to the final match where she emerged with a Silver Medal.

Women’s PairsManu Timoti and Jan Khan seemed

in devastating form in the early games of their group; however their touch seemed to leave them in the second half of their tournament. Their Commonwealth Games aspirations came down to one crucial moment where, by millimetres, they lost

an important tie break against Northern Ireland which would have guaranteed their position in the playoffs. “It came to a halt millimetres short….We didn’t know that at the time when we lost the tie-break [how important it would be]. Manu joked that I should have played with [slightly bigger] size five rather than size four bowls because we would have got it.” Jan Khan.

Women’s TriplesThis team was probably the hard luck

story of the games, only dropping two games but still knocked out in the pool stages as a result. In their group the top four teams finished on 12 points and on count back the Women’s Triples dropped into Fourth Place and missed out on a playoff spot. Their campaign came down to a loss against Namibia, the one game that the team seemed off its rhythm, which ended up costing them dearly.

Men’s SinglesAli Forsyth rolled through his

opposition in fantastic form during pool play only losing to England; this one loss causing him to lose the all important top spot in his pool - and automatic semi final qualification. In his quarter final playoff Ali drew Leif Selby of Australia. In a battle of titans, the match came down to a tie

break, where in the first end a vagary of the green slipped Selby’s bowl in for shot. This ensured Selby controlled the mat which proved to be the important factor in the competition between the two, with Ali eventually losing the Tie Break 4 – 3 to be knocked out of the tournament.

Men’s PairsRichard Collett and Danny Delany had

a horrid start to the tournament, never quite gelling. When one found his touch the other had lost his and vice versa. It took till the final stages of the tournament to find their rhythm again, but by then the damage was done and they were playing for pride only.

Men’s TriplesAndrew Todd, Shannon McIlroy, and

Richard Girvan had an erratic campaign, playing some sensational bowls in one match, then dropping the next in what should have been relatively easy victories. The surprising factor was the losses in tight tie breaks which this team has had a history of performing well in. Their campaign inevitably came down to a disappointing loss against Niue. This team isn’t about excuses: “In those tight games you just have to take your opportunities and unfortunately we didn’t” Andrew Todd.



5

When they get their chance to step

out of the shadows it’s nice to see

sportsmen and women make the most

of the chance.

Being at the Commonwealth games

has given me the chance to interact with

many of New Zealand’s top athletes,

athletes who normally train and perform

away from the spotlight. It’s a Kiwi fact

that if Rugby, League or Cricket is not your

chosen sport, gaining regular exposure via

all media avenues is not easy.

Which is why it’s refreshing to speak to

the likes of our leading bowls exponents,

boxers and table tennis players….

The Lawn Bowls team. If ever there

was a team that got on with the business

of performing, but understood the

importance of chatting to the media and

broadcasters this is it. They’re great! Like

Meehan (boxing coach), and Chun Li

(Table Tennis coach), head Bowls Coach,

Dave Edwards sets the standard for the

rest of his team to follow. Speak to this guy

and there is no sanitised pap. No crafted

PR speak. Yet his message is delivered in

a relaxed, informative manner that would

put many an experts’ comments to shame.

When his players are doing well he says so.

When they are not, he is equally honest.

Edwards is coach and a people

manager. He allows his players to speak

and does not speak on their behalf - as

too many coaches do these days. Edwards,

Meehan and Chun Li trust their players

and they respond in kind.

His team of 12 are all a pleasure to

interview and in the case of men’s singles

player, Ali Smith, there is a comments

man there if ever he chose to take the

opportunity. Jan Kahn is simply a joy and

her pairs teammate, Manu Timoti’s quiet

manner only just hides a great sense of

humour and ability to educate an audience

on the intricacies of her sport.

The Women’s triples team are equally

pleasant to chat with and whilst they

probably don’t believe it they interview

well. Women’s singles player, Val Smith

is in the same boat. Trust me Val, you’re

a great talent and an interview with you

is a lot of fun. As does the men’s triples.

Skip, Richard Girvan is a leader on and off

the field. He is another with a real knack

of telling his story in a way that educates

and entertains. His teammates, Andrew

Todd and Shannon McIlroy complete a

fine boxed set.

The Men’s Pair of Danny Delaney and

Richard Collett set the benchmark for all

sportsmen who have to talk to the media

after a bad day. They struggled on the first

two days of the Commonwealth Games,

yet were always approachable. Great

guys, who you just want to see do well,

because you know they can - and they’re

bloody good blokes.

Thank goodness now our

Commonwealth Games athletes get the

coverage they so deserve, and have a

chance to promote themselves.

Well done to those who have taken

the chance to do so and thanks to those

who have given me the chance to know

them better. And hopefully, through this

association, many folk at home have got

to know them better too.

OF THE MEdIAFROM THE EyES

By Bevan Sanson, Sky Sports

commentator in Delhi Excerpts from ‘Bowled Over by Kiwi Athletes Attitude’. Reprinted with permission from Sky Sport.



6

By Crispin Anderlini

“Only in India,” people sometimes

say with a wry smile. Only in India can

an 8-Nations Lawn Bowls Invitational

Tournament have the finishing touches

applied with mere hours to spare.

Only in India can you expect to roll up

on greens with a mean temperature of

40 degrees Celsius.

And only in India could you hope

to complete the preparations for a

Commonwealth Games bowls tournament

in the wettest monsoon season for 30

years, with just a professional attitude and

a small team of organisers to assist - but

Bill Fowlie has managed it.

A Delhi resident for the past 16

months, the Christchurch native has been

tested and tried in more ways than one

during his time in the world’s second most

populace country. From a lack of support

and experience with the sport, to madmen

on the roads - and much in between.

“I was a one man band up until

three months ago, when Isaac Denny

arrived from NZ as my Sports Manager,”

Fowlie explains, “but I have always had a

professional attitude that come what may,

I would run a professional tournament.

And it showed when we had the 8-Nations

test event in April. Now I have the full

team on board, we will make it happen.”

Satisfied reports from our bowlers on the

slow-rolling greens, confirm that he has

indeed, ‘made it happen’.

Despite being Fowlie’s “most difficult

event” yet, the veteran bowls events

manager has also seen and experienced

fascinating things. “The most amazing

things about living here have been the

history, the travel and all the wonderful

people I have met. I never in a million years

thought I would ever visit the Taj Mahal -

what a sight. It choked me up, I can tell

you,” Fowlie reports with admiration. “On

the organisational side, I have worked with

a great bunch of competition managers…

and [me and my team] have formed a

bond that will last a lifetime.”

And through all the trials and

tribulations of the project, Fowlie says it

is the love and support of his wife Linley

that has seen him through. Being able to

come home at night to his apartment, in

the noisy, wonderfully lively and diverse

city that is Delhi, and hug his wife before

having a hot meal. “That’s priceless,”

Fowlie says.

Pictured below left: The Fowlie’s Front

Gate in Delhi; below: Bill in Delhi.

MANAGINGEvENTFUL

BILL FOWLIE AT dELHI’S COMMONWEALTH GAMES



7

TEAMWEAR

BOWLS NZ sign new deal with LEGENDZ Teamwear!

Bowls NZ are proud to announce a 4 year partnership with LEGENDZ TEAMWEAR that will change the way you can buy your white wear and teamwear.

The partnership will enable clubs and their members to purchase white wear and teamwear in their local Postie store and be rewarded for it!

Postie has 81 stores nationwide. When your club officially signs up with LEGENDZ TEAMWEAR as their supplier, a range of white wear personalised with your club logo can be stocked locally.

White wear stock will be arriving in store in November.

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LEGENDZ TEAMWEAR CONTACT

William LockingRegional Account RepresentativeDDI: 09 820 4409Mobile: 027 224 2944Fax: 0800 802 [email protected]

www.legendz.co.nzSee www.postie.co.nz for store locations

Every sale generates an annual cash rebate to your club of 5%

Sports science is now an integral part of high

performance sport preparation, and bowls is no

exception.

Technique is important for bowlers, and a lot of

effort went into technical analysis for the 12-strong high

performance bowls team to underpin preparation for the

Commonwealth Games.

Under the guidance of expert Matt Ingram from the ASI in

Christchurch, New Zealand is leading the way in biomechanics

technology. Matt, who manages the bowls sports science

programme, has refined a system which films players using

two cameras, codes performance using dedicated software,

plus the latest new “Icode” technology, and links it to player

statistics.

Bowlers can then review performance, picking up

specifics on what they’re doing right and what needs further

work. They then plan for improvements with their coach, and

prepare strategy going into their next competition.

Matt also worked with the high performance bowlers on

fitness as part of their Commonwealth Games preparation.

Obviously biomechanics is just part of the holistic support the

ASI provides; strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and

mental preparation also being integral to the Games focus.

The Black Jacks competed in their great new uniforms

at the Commonwealth Games. The uniforms were made

by new Bowls NZ Sponsor Legendz Teamwear.

Legendz was chosen because they are a New Zealand

owned company, and are able to provide bowling gear to

all our members – not just for the Black Jacks. They have a

factory based in Christchurch, so they can work to short time

frames, and have also provided Bowls NZ with a substantial

sponsorship programme. With all these benefits, Legendz

was the obvious choice.

The uniforms are made with the latest breathable

fabric technology, which helped keep the Black Jacks in top

condition – even in the sweltering Delhi heat! The material is

both strong and flexible, a must for competitive bowling.

The design of the new uniform set the Black Jacks apart

from the other New Zealand sporting teams, with the imagery

of the fern being the prominent aspect. And the uniform has

been approved by the New Zealand Olympic Committee so it

can be used for other competitions in the future.

The new uniform is one the Black Jacks can be truly proud

to wear while representing their country on the world stage.

SCIENCE UNIFORMSPORTS NEW



9

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Performance characteristics will vary due to different surfaces and playing conditions

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Tiger II A mid biased bowl with an even and predictable trajectory. The predictable line of the Tiger II makes it very easy to adjust to for experienced and new bowlers alike. The Tiger II pro-vides comfort in the hand, control on the delivery, and consistency in results.

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For information on Henselite Lawn Bowls, Clothing, Footwear, and Accessories Vist:

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Val SmithWorld Number 1Winner singles & pairsWorld Champs 2008

Bowls Bias Trajectory

Key Fact: The High Performance

programme operates off a separate budget.

The revenue comes from SPARC, through

their high performance programme, and

specific corporate relationships which

desire a tangible link with the Black Jacks

due to their history of achievement.

Key Fact: SPARC funds sports through

a performance model, which means that

if the Black Jacks are not successful at

specified events they are likely to lose

funding. For example, the current goal they

needed to achieve was at least 3 medals at

the Commonwealth Games. This funding is

reviewed every second year, and the Black

Jacks must reapply for funding each time.

Key Fact: This performance funding

model means that the Black Jacks cannot

afford to have a bad day at the office.

Their funding relies entirely on how

well they do at World Games and

Commonwealth Games, so to

ensure the continuation of the

high performance programme

they must achieve results - there

are no second chances.

Key Fact: The goals of the high

performance programme are easily available

in Bowls New Zealand’s Strategic and

Operations plans – which are both posted

on the Bowls NZ website, paraphrased

“They want to dominate the World of

Bowls and win Medals.”

Key Fact: Currently no Membership

fees go towards the High Performance

programme to fund the Black Jacks

programme.

What many people don’t know is

that the Black Jacks’ trips, coaching,

and any other expenses incurred are

almost completely funded by SPARC.

The remainder of the revenue is sourced

through sponsorship arrangements, such

as the Legendz sponsorship for the uniform

requirements of the Black Jacks.

BUSTINGMyTH

Bowls NZ, in the interest of transparency, is introducing a

“Myth Busting” segment, specifically dedicated to busting

some common “myths” with facts. Let’s look at…

MyTH #3:Membership fees that go to Bowls NZ fund the Black Jacks’ trips overseas.

n Corporate Sponsorship n SPARC

SPARC

CorporateSponsorship



11

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COR100079 CT Bowls A4.indd 1 10/08/10 1:28 PM

By Amy WilliamsThe 1986 Edinburgh Games was steeped in controversy, and

none were more affected than the New Zealand Men’s bowling team.

At the time only amateur sportsmen could compete in the games, and if a player received any cash prizes for their sport they were deemed to be semi professional, and as such were ineligible. This affected athletes across many countries and disciplines, and most of the first choice NZ Men’s bowling team were among them.

To deal with this problem new players had to be selected, and prepared as much as possible in a short space of time for the challenge ahead. Kerry Clark was the Coach Manager for the New Zealand Men’s Team at the time, and as Coach Manager it was his responsibility to deal with the mammoth task of selecting the new players.

One of the players selected was Ian Dickison, who had previously won a gold medal in the Australian Games Singles, as well as National Titles in both Singles and Pairs. The other players selected were Stewart McConnell, Morgan Moffat, John Murtagh, Wayne Nairn, Maurice Symes and Keith Slight. Most of these players had experienced domestic success, and some had competed on the world stage, but the pressure of achieving Commonwealth Games success was a new experience.

The conditions the players faced in Edinburgh were both dreadful and a completely foreign encounter for bowlers used to Kiwi conditions. Daytime temperatures averaged just 8°C and it rained through the entire tournament. Ian Dickison put in a strong performance, ignoring the weather conditions he swept through the competition with style and finesse. He went on to win the Gold medal in the Men’s Singles and bring glory back to New Zealand. Unfortunately none of the other NZ Men’s bowlers placed in the competition, although the Men’s Fours just missed out with a fourth place finish.

But it was the support of Kerry Clark that really brought the success to this team. Kerry recalls “coaching was very much in the development phase at the time, and my job really was to be a Jack of All Trades”. Beyond coaching he was also responsible for travel, accommodation, and outfitting, as well as being a confidante to the players. He credits the volunteers who worked alongside him for their hard work towards the success of the team.Pictured right: Ian Dickison, Men’s Singles Gold Medalist

BOWLS HISTORyA MOMENT IN

1986 EdINBURGH COMMONWEALTH

GAMES



13

By Crispin AnderliniKids, put down your Playstation

games and pick up a bowl. Teenagers, get out in the sun and roll up on a green. Adults, discover why so many competitive and social New Zealanders play this classic game. That was the call that went out on the airwaves, through letterboxes and over newspaper pages in the lead up to the second National Have a Go at Lawn Bowls Day on Sunday, October 10.

From the Far North to the Deep South, 186 bowling clubs joined in the effort to get more people playing bowls and raise the sport’s profile. After all, it’s a Commonwealth Games sport; it enjoys a sizable, and growing, fanbase in a huge variety of countries; it’s a very sociable, interactive and fun sport to try; the great thing is anyone can play.

Have A Go, has been designed with one simple purpose, getting more people into clubs, trying the game we all love, and hopefully catching the addiction. In most clubs the success of this day has been fantastic with expressions of interest for casual bowls and

members being well beyond expectation. At the Hutt Bowling Club they had 61

members of the public turn up to Have A Go, the club made sure these new people to the sport were given a variety of on green fun activities and relaxed Bowls lessons. They turned the day into an event with on and off green activities for all age groups, with three different food stalls to keep the visitors and the many club volunteers well fed, every half hour they had a spot prize draw - with the Prizes being donated by club members. As a result of the day they were able to recruit three new Mates In Bowls (MIB) teams and fill two more with casuals. They also now have 5 new applications for membership “this was such a fantastic outcome for our club to have in one concerted effort 18 people decide to participate in bowls at our club on a regular basis.”

Errol McFarlane (Vice-President and Club Captain of Ponsonby Bowling Club) points out: “The only way to keep the game alive is to bring in younger people, to open your doors and let bowls be fun again.” At his club

it’s been a great turnout as well, with over 60 people giving bowls a go for the first time. He explains it doesn’t just happen by chance, they’ve done a lot of groundwork, and John Ivory (President of Ponsonby Bowling Club) has been driving advertising for the day in all directions: web, newspaper, radio, and letterboxes to get the word out.

On rink seven there’s Julius (9), who’s just completed another solid end, and is about to teach older brothers Desmond (11) and Dylan (18) a lesson. “It’s good to get out of the house,” he says with a shy chuckle.

A bustling, laughing family is having a go on rink one. And rink three has a full complement of sharp-looking hipsters, chortling at their errors while paying studious attention to their line. They saw the flag outside, and decided to try their hand at the game. It’s more difficult than they thought, but also much more fun than they imagined.

Meanwhile, next door in rink five, 11-year-old Aidan is already an expert. “I’m here with my dad and grandfather today.” He laughs as he explains proudly they are having a Boys

IS ALL ABOUT THE FUN, THE SKILL ANd THE PEOPLE

OUR GREAT GAME


14

day out at the Bowls Club.Have A Go gives us the chance to show

the community what makes bowls such a great game.

I asked Point Chevalier Bowling Club Manager Jenny Jones, an energetic, something-under-40-year-old, with a passion for the game and a desire to show people why bowls is the game of kings and serfs alike, just what makes Bowls great, “there’s no age to it. You don’t have to be physically fit, strong or the greatest athlete. You just have to turn up and get an idea of what the bowl is going to do; then just practice.” And judging by the busy greens, she’s quite persuasive at getting people to Have A Go.

Success doesn’t just happen, and that is the same with Have A Go, the clubs that really put the effort in, turn the day into a promotion of their club, their facilities, and its people, see real value in the day with many expressions of interest from the participants to play bowls regularly. The clubs that made sure they included as much fun, laughter, and enjoyment into the day reaped the rewards

of more participants, more members, and increased awareness of their facilities, they made Have A Go a success through their own efforts.

Richmond in quake ravaged Christchurch still found the time and energy to run Have A Go, the impact on the people who participated in the day was expressed by Colleen a stalwart volunteer of the club “All (the participants) actually came up and thanked us for a great afternoon out” it was such a great opportunity to simply enjoy the game of bowls with the community. Richmond also took the opportunity to get donations for the Earthquake appeal, and managed to raise over $100. “We had a lot of help with advertising, with the Radio station and the local paper promoting the day, and of course the flyers we distributed around the town and public places like the local Mall, Library and council offices really helped to get the message out and let people know we are here.”

Kia Toa Bowling Club in Hastings opened its greens to anyone who wished to Have a Go. The response to the event was very

pleasing”, says Gordon Berry, with 24 non bowlers turning up to see for themselves what this game of bowls is all about.

186 Clubs ran Have A Go in its second year, each took advantage of the marketing support provided by Bowls NZ (signage, templates etc) to take the chance to put themselves in front of the wider public, they actively advertised and marketed themselves, they put the effort into creating an environment for new people to try the game in a fun and positive manner, they actively opened their doors to their local communities, rebuilt their appeal, and showed what this great game is all about, the fun, the skill, the people.

On a final note from Michael O’Keefe Bowls NZ’s marketing manager “To every club, volunteer and person involved I would like to say a personal thank you for taking the time and effort to show off this great sport. Without your efforts, the success of the day would not have been possible. You have all done an amazing job in promoting the sport to our communities in a positive and fun way.”


15

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IS ALL ABOUT THE FUN, THE SKILL ANd THE PEOPLE

OUR GREAT GAME

GREENKEEPINGFOCUS ON

SCRIMS, SCRIMS, SCRIMSBy Martin Christensen

Scrims have been catch cry for

green keepers so far this season. I’m

aware of two clubs who on opening

day, against better judgment, didn’t

use them “so that the greens would

look their best”.

They are now paying the price of

having slow healing dumping and scuff

marks evident well into the season. Club

officials must be resolute insisting that

scrims are used whilst the playing surface

remains soft. I would refer club officials to

the excellent article “dumping” by David

Ormsby in the August Turf Management

Journal. Club Officials must not succumb

to pressure from players against using

scrims, they will pay for it in the long run.

Regional CentresRecently Region Two held a green

keepers forum, in view of forming a

Leadership group of Greenkeepers.

Experienced Green keepers and

Contractors from the Region’s eight

Centres attended, together with members

of the NZ Sports Turf Staff. An outline of

the new Regional pathways was given

by CEO David Hewitt, and an excellent

exchange of ideas on all aspects of

Greenkeeping followed. A resolution was

made to reactivate activity at local level,

especially in relation to field days and

cluster meetings involving Sports Turf and

Bowls NZ.

Greens Evaluation FormThe Bowls NZ Green Keepers

Association fully supports the use of the

evaluation form by all Centres when

selecting club greens for Centre events

into this season, as it is vital that all clubs

throughout NZ are evaluated to the same

criteria. It was surprising to find at the

recent Region Two forum that awareness

of the approved evaluation form was not

evident in some Centres.

For a copy of the evaluation form,

visit www.bowls.co.nz/greenkeeping/

reporting



18

STOKE CLUB SEASON OPENINGTo celebrate opening for the season Stoke Club held a ‘blind bottle auction’ to raise

funds for resident Black Jacks Richard Collett and Shannon McIlroy. The auction was a

great success, with Club President Allan Griffiths presenting each with $600 towards their

Commonwealth Games trip. One of the highlights was a beautifully presented and well

wrapped bottle that turned out to be a hot water bottle – that went for $20. Patron Ferrers

McCarthy also paid $20 for a bottle of water!

BAy OF PLENTy JUNIOR BOWLERS

Dianne Ratcliffe (J2 Matua BC) and Carol Rough (J5 Matua BC) made their debut for the

Bay of Plenty Junior Ladies Bowls Squad against Gisborne/Poverty Bay at Ohope Bowls Club

on Sunday 19.9.10. After initial nerves the pair warmed up to the challenge, and enjoyed

their experience under the leadership of skip, Gill Lamprey (J4 Arawa BC, Rotorua).

TIMARU BOWLING CLUB MAKES A GENEROUS dONATION TO BOWLS CANTERBURy

Bowls Canterbury have received a cheque from Timaru Bowling Club for $10,000.

This money has been offered to assist those Clubs affected by the earthquake. This is an

outstanding contribution from this Club and Bowls Canterbury would like to show their

appreciation for their amazing generosity.

WELLINGTON REGIONAL SERvICE CENTRE UNdERWAy

At the latest Bowls New Zealand AGM, Wellington RSC presented to the audience of

Club representatives and delegates from around the country it’s progress and learnings as

it has moved down the path of developing the models required to deliver the objectives

around Youth Bowls, Quality Green keeping, Coach development, Technical Officials, and

Capability development within their region.

What was highlighted throughout the presentation was that the process and relationship between Wellington and Bowls New Zealand

has been one of cooperation and a desire to see the environment of Bowls improved.

Dave Hewitt presented how the centre had worked with key individuals, such as Sharon Sims, to develop plans around each aspect so

that they had developed a clear pathway for the next twelve months. The core focus in the early stages has been identifying passionate

capable people to take ownership of core activities within their areas of concern, and to provide those individuals with all the tools and

support required so that they could work within their centres and clubs to deliver world class programmes, and improve the sport’s delivery

and infrastructure to the bowls community.

CLUB SCENE

Send your updated club contacts to Bowls NZ at [email protected]



19

By Helen Stallard

The biggest positive to umpiring

internationally is the opportunity to

mix with umpires from around the

world and to be able to discuss and

compare the state of umpiring in other

countries.

It is then that you realise that all

countries face an aging population

of umpires, a declining full bowling

membership and the increasing difficulty in

attracting and retaining quality umpires.

With World Bowls now taking a

leading role in examinations and providing

a standard DVD to ensure the training

across the world is technically all the same,

the measuring procedures should all be

the same, and umpires should be umpiring

the same all across the world.

Despite this uniformity there are still

local differences it seems. The Northern

Hemisphere loves their boundary thread

and loathes the use of a boundary scope.

In the Southern Hemisphere the thought

of using a boundary thread to check if

a bowl or jack is live seems antiquate.

Northern Hemisphere umpires run up

the green and move their feet a lot when

marking to check whether a bowl is going

to touch the jack. Southern Hemisphere

Umpires walk up the green, and stand in

a position on the head where moving to

check touchers is not required and a lean

of the body is sufficient to have a clear

view.

The Eight Nations was held in early

April and the reaction from the Indian

teller in the bank when I first enquired

about purchasing rupees should have

warned me of what was to come. “Not

even native Indians go to Delhi in April”

I was told “it is too hot!!” Officiating at

45 degrees is an experience, and the air

conditioned floor of the ITO’s room was

certainly a welcome respite for your feet

when you had finished your duty. The

ground temperature reached 57 degrees

one day!

It was noted that the English were

most impressed when Jan Khan called out

“Umpire, rink 4, callipers please”. While

we take this for granted in New Zealand

as the accepted way to call for an umpire,

it is not done anywhere else in the world.

In other countries players just call for the

umpire and when you arrive at the rink

you find out what equipment is required.

Hopefully it will catch on worldwide as

all could see how much better the New

Zealand way is!!

UMPIRINGFOCUS ON

INTERNATIONAL UMPIRING



21

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By Greg Johnson

The Browns Bay Bowling Club

hosted the 2nd Annual Nicholls and

Associates Optometrists Blind Bowls

Triples event on Saturday the 4th of

September 2010. A fun and competitive

day was enjoyed by all.

Twenty five bowlers from Auckland

Blind Lawn Bowls were placed in teams

with Browns Bay Bowling Club members.

The tournament was held to give blind &

visually impaired players the opportunity

to play a competitive tournament, and

to increase Browns Bay club members’

awareness of the issues encountered by

blind bowlers. This was enhanced by all

of the sighted players having to wear

international travel eye shades and play

their bowls “blind” for one end during

each of the four games. This resulted in

a large increase in concentration and

communication levels amongst all bowlers.

It was great to see and hear the Browns

Bay club members breaking down barriers,

assisting each other in how to hold their

bowl, and positioning each other on the

mat.

The winning triples team in the event

comprised of Glenn Hanneman, President

of the Auckland Blind Lawn Bowls

Association, Bill Sharpe and Browns Bay

Club stalwart, Peter Beg.

Major sponsor, Bruce Nicholls and his

colleague, Catherine, came along to join

in the fun, both displayed a high degree of

skill, and we were overjoyed when Bruce

announced that Nicholls and Associates

Optometrists would sponsor the event

again in 2011.

We would also like to thank the

generous sponsorship from Bowls Planet;

who made a large donation to the

Auckland Blind Lawn Bowling Association

to support blind and visually impaired

players’ participation in this great sport.

Thanks go to the Browns Bay Club

for hosting and fundraising for this event,

particularly to Club Captain, Kevin Smith,

for his organisation of the tournament.

If you would like to host a blind bowls

event at your club please get in touch with

one of the contacts on the New Zealand

Blind Lawn Bowlers Association website

www.sportsground.co.nz/nzblba

The Blind Lawn Bowls National

Championships will be held at Gate Pa

Bowling Club in Tauranga from the 29th

of November to the 2nd of December.

BOWLSBLINd

AT BROWNS BAy



23

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JRE90 Joint Rescue 90 Capsules

All three once stood on the dais as

winners of National Secondary Schools

Championship titles.

Genevieve won her singles title in

2002, Shannon had a three year strangle-

hold on the singles from 2002-2004 and

Andrew secured a singles title in 2005.

Furthermore, these players are now at the

pinnacle of our sport, with Genevieve and

Shannon representing New Zealand at the

Commonwealth Games.

But it hasn’t been by chance that these

three, and others of their generation, are

now forging a new chapter in the New

Zealand bowls history books, it has been

the firm commitment by us as a sport

to develop youth within bowls and the

growing force of youth bowls supporters/

coordinators / ambassadors / coaches

throughout the country.

The National Secondary Schools

Championships has developed into

a challenging and competitive event

endorsed as an official secondary schools

championship. The Kittyhawks National

U20’s Singles has been an established

event on the youth bowls calendar for

years and is regarded as one of the best for

identifying future talent. In February this

year, New Zealand secured a historic win

over Australia in the Under 18’s tests.

So where are we now? The pool is

growing, the talent identification and

development pathway is demonstrating

success, and our dedication to a High

Performance programme will go a long way

to ensuring that we continue to ‘dominate

the world of bowls’. But to keep this going,

we need to look at our sport holistically –

what are we doing to make bowls appeal

to younger people, to get more young kiwis

playing more bowls, more often?

Squad6 is the nationally branded

and SPARC supported secondary schools

participation model. Squad6 is not

a championship to find winners; it is

designed to grow student participation at

a base level.

Youth bowls is now a priority.

Traditional club membership will continue

to be the backbone of our sport, but unless

we continue to promote and encourage

youth to play bowls, clubs will close and

the sport could die. Before the mat is pulled

out from under us, let’s get more young

people playing bowls – the future is now.

What can you do to help? Support

youth bowls by creating a positive and

welcoming environment for all youth.

Support youth bowls coordinators in your

club and centre, attend events, run Squad

6, and develop youth focused coaching.

Our youth bowlers are the future of

the Black Jacks and among the great Kiwi

names such as Khan, Skoglund, Bellis will

go the names of Baildon, McIlroy and

Kelly.

Pictured right from top: Andrew Kelly

in 2005, and 5 years later wins the

World Junior Cup; Shannon McIlroy

claims his third secondary title in 2004

and 6 years later is a Commonwealth

games athlete; the victorious Area

2 Team in 2002 including Genevieve

Baildon (right).

THE FUTURE IS NOWWHAT dO CURRENT BLACK JACKS

GENEvIEvE BAILdON, SHANNON McILROy ANd ANdREW KELLy HAvE IN COMMON?

yOUTHBOWLS



25

By Mike O’Keefe

During my time with Bowls New

Zealand I have come across constant

arguments by members and personalities

that TV will solve our sport’s woes, it’s

the magic bullet, and it will inject money,

fame, and prestige into our sport. That

simply having bowls on the box will be

the path to our salvation.

It’s an interesting argument, and one

which completely and utterly ignores the

facts.

Usually when TV is mentioned Australia

or the United Kingdom are highlighted as the

models to replicate. The proclaimers of this

fallacy state “Australia have had bowls on TV

for years and look at the strength of Australian

clubs.” It’s great to be in a position where you

can make such comments in ignorance of the

reality of the situation; fortunately for the

bowls community those employed to market

our sport don’t have that luxury. Yes TV adds

benefits to bowls in Australia in promoting

the sport, but does it solve the issues at club

level?

No, because Australian clubs face the

same issues we do: traditional membership is

declining and casual membership is increasing.

At Bowls Australia’s AGM it was noted in their

key challenges, “Membership is disappointing,

and the recent decline in 2008-09 follows a

steady drop in membership over the last 25

years (our membership is currently nearly 50%

of what it was in 1983)”. This shows that the

trend from traditional to casual membership

has nothing to do with television coverage of

bowls, and everything to do with how society

is changing. Has the TV coverage attracted

more people to the sport in Australia? The

simple answer is no - their membership is in

decline.

I can say that by simply looking at the facts.

To attract new people to the sport Australian

clubs have had to undertake targeted casual

and youth programmes to get people back

to their clubs, volunteers have had to get out

in the community and promote themselves.

It’s exactly the same in NZ; the clubs that are

successful are the proactive ones. In short

TV hasn’t driven the masses to the sport and

there are no membership facts to support this

argument.

Now let’s consider the UK position,

where the BBC run a format developed

specifically for TV and where the concept of

a professional circuit was developed, the PBA.

TV hasn’t solved the issues in the UK either. All

UK countries (England, Ireland, Scotland and

Wales) unsurprisingly face similar issues from

the changing dynamics of the player base. The

PBA as a professional circuit has lost sponsors

and prize money, and as a result the circuit

is decreasing because it isn’t generating the

audiences required to continue to maintain

corporate involvement.

The fact is that we have had bowls on

TV in New Zealand, such as the 2008 World

Bowls Championship, and the New Zealand

Open. Every time a bowls game is shown on

TV it comes at a cost. The 2008 World Bowls

coverage, in production and airtime alone cost

the event $100,000 - because bowls does not

generate the ratings. The feedback from the

coverage of the World Bowls event was that it

underperformed in ratings and failed to meet

the expectations of the free to air channel

covering the event. Rugby generates it’s

revenue from TV rights because people watch

the games. In New Zealand bowlers and the

general public don’t watch the game to a

level that will attract sponsors and make the

BULLET?THE MAGICTv COvERAGE



26

channels proactive in their desire for coverage,

so we have to pay the channels for the time

and production required to put our sport on

TV.

If we want to see our sport able to

generate revenue and increased exposure

through TV, then it is up to us, those that love

this sport, to make the effort to watch it when

it is available, so that ratings increase, and TV

executives start to see some tangible returns

from the sport being televised.

So what are we doing to build our sport?

We are giving our volunteers, those people who

make a difference in our clubs, every support

we can. We have Club Plan in place so clubs

can build sustainable welcoming environments

and Community Development Officers to aide

clubs in planning and development. We have

established national brands to target those

growth areas in sport with programmes such

as MIB, Squad6, and Have A Go. We have

learnt lessons from our international partners

and are putting our resources into delivering

programmes that aide our clubs and ensure

they are able to attract people to their clubs,

rather than investing all our resources into

TV coverage which mainly benefits a small

number of elite players.

Does TV coverage have a place in our

sport? Hopefully. It is an option continually

being investigated, but is it the magic bullet to

our salvation? No. The reality is any coverage

will come at a cost, and any benefit gained will

be only for elite players. If you hear someone

proclaiming otherwise, ask yourself, are they

simply uninformed, joking, or trying to benefit

themselves in some way?



27

GRANT’S CORNER 2 CORNER TOURNAMENTJoin in the fun and get adifferent angle on our favourite pastime. From November 2010 to April 2011 at participating clubs.

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GRANT’S CORNER 2 CORNER TOuRNamENT

Join in the fun and get a different angle on our favourite pastime. From November 2010 to April 2011 at participating clubs.

upshot - october 2010

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