Goldsbury was there for those first two years amid competitor numbers around the 20 mark. He finished fifth both years, each time missing out on a semi-final spot on shot differential. But he was encouraged by the fact he beat the eventual winner in the early stages of both tournaments.
“This year’s tournament was supposed to be in July but it was rescheduled to this week and numbers were down,” Goldsbury said.
“Twelve bowlers took part. One of them was from Motueka in the South Island and most of the rest were from the upper North Island.”
Five invited top-level senior players also took part, adding to the challenge.
In the qualifying phase, Goldsbury, 47, won four of his six games, and those he lost were by one shot. Matches were played over 14 ends with four bowls.
He finished second overall, but with one of the senior invited guests the only player above him, Goldsbury was declared the Junior Super Singles champion for the season.
Knockout rounds followed and Goldsbury’s tournament ended with a first-round defeat to one of the senior invited players.
When he’s not in Gisborne, Goldsbury plays his bowls at the Manly Bowling Club in North Harbour on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula or at the Point Chevalier Bowling Club in Auckland.
Back home, he’s a member of the Gisborne and Te Karaka bowling clubs and part of the Bowls Gisborne-East Coast representative team.
He was a member of the Gisborne team who won the GEC men’s senior interclub tournament, the week after he and David File were runners-up for Te Karaka in the centre men’s open pairs.
In the first week of January, he and father Steve will be in Canterbury for the national singles and pairs. Shaun will play the singles and join Steve for the pairs. They’ll be wearing Gisborne club colours and Shaun is hoping to at least equal last year’s effort of reaching post-section play in both disciplines.
“It’s a great event,” he said. “You get to play top New Zealand players and maybe some from overseas. Not many sports offer that opportunity.”
