Bowler and publican extraordinaire

CHAMPS: The 1911 North Island bowls pairs champions, six years before they became national champions . . . A. Sawyer (sitting) and Joe Martin. The 'ghost' in the picture is reflection off framing glass. Picture supplied

The man behind the name engraved on two of Bowls Gisborne-East Coast's most prestigious cups was an outstanding bowler in his own right.

The Martin Cup for centre men's singles and the J. J. Martin Memorial Cup for centre men's open fours are named after the same man.

Joseph John Martin and his Turanganui bowling clubmate A. Sawyer won the North Island pairs title at Auckland in 1911 and the Dominion pairs at Wellington in 1917.

On the local scene, Joe Martin skipped the winning Burton Cup four in 1914, '29 and '30, the winning Peace Shield four in 1927 and '28, and the first Poverty Bay Champion of Champions pair, in 1928-29.

His success as a singles player was just as spectacular.

In 1908, Gisborne Bowling Club president William Pettie presented a “champion singles cup” to the club for annual competition.

In the first six years it was contested, the name J. J. Martin was engraved four times, alongside the years 1909, 1910, 1912 and 1914. Under the last of these dates the words “won outright” were engraved . . . the cup was Joe Martin's to keep.

But below the inscription detailing the presentation of the cup, more engraved words tell us the cup was re-presented to the East Coast Bowling Centre by the family of the late J. J. Martin, for open singles, in 1968. The Kahutia club's Des McKenzie was the first winner of the repurposed cup, in 1968-69.

The J. J. Martin Memorial Cup was presented to the centre by the Poverty Bay Licensed Trade.

The first winners were the Kahutia four of A. McLean, F. W. Raggett, W. J. Raggett and P. F. Powell (skip) in 1962.

Martin was a name associated with the hotel trade in Gisborne for over 50 years.

Joe Martin's brother Fred had bought a hotel in Gladstone Road in the late 19th century and traded under the name of the Royal Hotel.

“The original pub burned down in an earthquake in 1894,” said Gisborne lawyer Joe Martin, named after his bowls-playing grandfather.

“An oil lamp fell over and the pub caught fire. With the insurance money, Fred rebuilt and sold the hotel to his brother-in-law D. J. Barry, who leased it back to Joe on a handshake. He was its licensee for 52 years, a New Zealand record at the time.

“He finished in 1953, when my father Frank took it over. He went into partnership with his brother Harry and they ran it together until 1964, when Harry had a heart attack and left the business. Dad leased it until 1965 when he sold the lease. It went to New Zealand Breweries, who had bought D. J. Barry, and they put a manager in there.”

The hotel was demolished in March 1994. A Georgie Pie restaurant was built on the site and later converted into veterinary practice rooms.

Joe Martin said his grandfather and namesake died on September 29, 1961.

“I saw it (the J. J. Martin Memorial Cup) presented the following year at the Gisborne Bowling Club. Our family have supported it (and latterly the Martin Cup) ever since.

“Towards the end of his life, Dad — a club and centre champion himself — said to my brother Frank and me that he wanted us to carry it on, so we do.

“We do it willingly . . . it's like a message from the grave.”

' Turanganui Bowling Club was formed in 1905 and changed its name to Kahutia in honour of Lady Carroll (Heni Materoa), who donated an acre of land in Cobden Street and £500 towards the cost of a pavilion. Heni Materoa was a granddaughter of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki leader Kahutia and daughter of Riperata Kahutia, who played a role in the cultural revival of her people after the wars of the 1860s.

' Rugby seems to have been another sporting interest for J. J. Martin. The Poverty Bay Rugby Union history, 100 Years of Rugby 1890-1990, by Arthur Swan and Jack Jones, records that J. J. Martin, of the Turanganui club, represented Poverty Bay in 1892, '93 and '94. He is listed in the team sheet for the game against Wellington in Gisborne in 1894. Wellington won 19-6.