Lawn bowler Paddy Stewart is heading south to Dunedin next week but picked up the Bowls Gisborne-East Coast men’s player of the year award before he left.
Glenys Whiteman received the women’s player of the year award.
Fourteen-year-old twins Kyle and Liam Pinn were joint winners of theaward for most improved junior men’s player, while Marise Raklander was judged most improved junior women’s bowler.
The centre prizegiving for the 2024/25 season was held at Poverty Bay Bowling Club.
This season Stewart won the men’s open pairs alongside David File, and the champion of champions senior men’s triples with File and Steve Goldsbury. He also played in the national intercentre with Malcolm Trowell, Shaun Goldsbury, Steve Goldsbury, Ricky Miller, Andrew Ball, Arthur Hawes and Steve Berezowski.
While Stewart has been outstanding value for Te Karaka Bowling Club during his four years in Gisborne, he has also been a mentor for younger bowlers. Most improved junior men Kyle and Liam Pinn are among those who have benefited from his advice and encouragement.
Bowls Gisborne-East Coast women's player of the year Glenys Whiteman. Photo / Karen Pinn
Women’s player of the year Whiteman won three centre titles this season – the women’s open singles, women’s open triples and champion of champions women’s open triples with Dayvinia Mills and Karen Pinn.
Whiteman and her team will play in the national champion of champions women’s triples in Auckland from August 22 to 24.
Sixth-year bowlers Kyle and Liam Pinn, of the Kahutia and Poverty Bay bowling clubs, won the Kahutia senior men’s pairs and represented the club in the champion of champions senior men’s pairs. They also won the champion of champions junior triples alongside their father Geoff Pinn, and the Burnside Trophy for the mixed junior (up to eight years of bowls experience) interclub alongside Geoff Pinn, Gerry Kora and Salvie Rickard.
Bowls Gisborne-East Coast vice-president Sharon Olsen with junior men's players of the year Kyle Pinn (left) and his twin brother Liam. Photo / Karen Pinn
Kyle and Liam had encouraging results in their first three-day Kittyhawk national under-21 singles tournament in Wellington. Kyle finished fourth equal in the second division of the competition and Liam was third in Division 3.
First-year bowler Raklander, of Gisborne Bowling Club, finished third-equal in the centre women’s open singles and won her first centre title as a member of the winning team in the Ella Gibson Women’s Open Fours. She was selected and played in the senior women’s octagonal and intercentre. Raklander was out of town when the prizegiving was held.
