David Kaye with his tape measure to gauge the worth of Kiwi and Aussie shots during the two-day PBA Challenge in Hastings. Photo / Duncan Brown
When fair-dinkum Aussies roll into town to compete in any sport it pays to have their measure.
With Bowls Heretaunga creating history in hosting the first Professional Bowling Association Challenge between Australia and New Zealand from tomorrow in Hastings, umpire David Kaye knows he'll have to bring his A game to the indoor facility.
Not that he has ever officiated in matches involving the Aussies, but the man who is recognised as "firm but fair" is excited about venturing into the unknown.
"I don't know yet [what to expect] but we'll soon find out. There might be a little more measuring to do and that sort of thing," says the Bowls Taradale member who'll turn 80 on Wednesday next week.
"You have to be pretty exact with it," says an affable Kaye who has his tool kit handy.
How exact? Carpenter or motor mechanic-like precision?
"Oh better. It ranges from long distance to using a feeler gauge to separate the bowls from the jack," says Kaye, who has been a PBA umpire for seven years but has presided over outdoor bowls for two decades.
Bowlers will be patiently on the bank while he measures.
"They have to [take my word for it] because once I get the result I push the shot bowl away," he says, mindful money is involved and the situation can become a little tense but he hasn't come across anything untoward yet.
Kaye sees his umpiring service as giving something back to a code that has given him so much.
"It's a good relaxing game," says the retired fire officer who hopes to keep rolling out the mat as long as he can.
Kaye has played bowls since 1982, starting at Omarunui club but has been with Taradale for the past 16 years.
He won a club champs at Omarunui in 1999 and that year went on to clinch the Bay champion-of-champions crown.
The ex-Napier Boys' High School pupil was a former senior B rugby player with Eskview before picking up the whistle as a referee.
He still competes in the NZ Fire Service tournament, having won against Australia in Kapiti Coast.
"The camaraderie is unbelievable," he says, revealing umpiring hasn't made him a better player but given him a better grasp of the rules.
"It'll be the first time I'll be doing an international although I've done the NZPBA national finals here a couple of years ago.
"I wander around the greens and if the bowlers are doing something wrong [unknowingly] I'll just have a quiet word to them."
Australia traditionally come out guns blazing in the preliminary rounds to determine the top three for the finals on Thursday.
Last year in Sydney, Ben Twist and ex-England international David Holt went through unbeaten after five rounds while in 2014 Steve Halmai emulated that feat in the Hunter Valley.
Heretaunga club's Murray Glassey will spearhead the Scotty's Meats NZPBA team.
Player profiles:
MURRAY GLASSEY (HB)
Joined PBA: 2000
Current race to Oz position: 1st.
Career high rank: 1st (2015).
2016 singles record: 16 wins, 2 losses.
PBA career highlights: R16 2015-16 WBT International singles in Blackpool; R32 2002-03 WBT Welsh singles in Llanelli; winner 2013-14 Australia v NZ challenges in Newcastle, and two other challenge appearances.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2011 NZ Club pairs.
Career head-to-head record: 2-3 v Twist; 0-1 v Holt; 0-1 v Pearse.
ROB ASHTON (Akld)
Joined PBA: 2005.
Current race to Oz position: 5th.
Career high rank: 3rd (2014).
2016 singles record: 13 wins, 3 losses.
PBA career highlights: R32 2014-15 WBT Scottish singles in Perth & 2015-16 WBT World Indoor singles in Norfolk; 2015 Australia v NZ Challenge in Sydney.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2009 & 2015 NZ Champ pairs; winner 2003 NZ Club triples & 2015 NZ Club fours.
Career head-to-head record: 0-1 v Twist; 0-1 v Holt; 0-1 v Pearse.
ANDY McLEAN (Dunedin)
Joined PBA: 2008.
Current race to Oz position: 18th.
Career high rank: 4th (2015).
2016 singles record: 1 win, 5 losses.
PBA career highlights: R32 2014-15 WBT World Indoor Singles in Norfolk; winner 2013 International singles & 2016 World Indoor pairs qualifiers in Dunedin.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2011 NZ Interclub.
Career head-to-head record: Challenge debut.
CRAIG MERRILEES (Southland)
Joined PBA: 2004.
Current race to Oz position: 4th.
Career high rank: 2nd (2013).
2016 singles record: 14 wins, 3 losses.
PBA career highlights: 3rd 2015 Australia v NZ Challenge in Sydney; 2014 Australia v NZ Challenge in Newcastle.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2013 NZ mixed pairs.
Career head-to-head record: 0-2 v Twist; 1-1 v Holt; 0-1 v Pearse.
LAURIE GUY (Wgtn)
Joined PBA: 2002.
Current race to Oz position: 37th.
Career high rank: 6th (2015).
2016 singles record: 1 win, 3 losses.
PBA career highlights: Winner 6 ranking tournaments in Hastings.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 3 Wellington titles.
Career head-to-head record: Challenge debut.
Australia PBA:
BEN TWIST
PBA career highlights: QF 2011-12 WBT World Indoor pairs in Norfolk; R16 2009-10 & 2013-14 WBT World Indoor Singles in Norfolk & 2014-15 WBT International singles in Blackpool, and 1 other WBT appearance; runner-up 2015 Australia v NZ Challenge in Sydney; 5 other Australia v NZ challenge appearances.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2011 World Cup junior singles; winner 2010 Australian Open Triples.
Career head-to-head record: 3-2 v Glassey; 2-0 v Merrilees; 1-0 v Ashton.
STEVE HALMAI
PBA career highlights: SF WBT World Indoor pairs in Norfolk and 11 other WBT appearances; 3rd 2014 Australia v NZ Challenge in Newcastle, and 1 other challenge appearance.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner England Association singles; runner-up Australian indoor singles.
Career head-to-head record: 1-1 v Glassey; 1-0 v Merrilees.
JAMIE SMITH
PBA career highlights: R16 2013-14 WBT Scottish singles in Perth; R32 2015-16 WBT World indoor singles in Norfolk.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2012 Queensland State singles & fours.
Career head-to-head record: Challenge debut.
DAVID HOLT
PBA career highlights: Winner 2001/02 WBT World Indoor pairs in Norfolk; runner-up 2002-03 WBT World indoor pairs in Norfolk and numerous other WBT appearances; 4th Australia v NZ Challenge in Sydney.
Non-PBA career highlights: Gold 2002 Commonwealth Games Fours (for England); runner-up 2015 World Cup singles; 9 England titles; 2 Australian titles.
Career head-to-head record: 1-0 v Glassey; 1-1 v Merrilees; 1-0 v Ashton.
RAY PEARSE
PBA career highlights: 2007-08 WBT World indoor pairs in Norfolk; 2011-12 WBT World indoor singles in Norfolk; 5th 2015 Australia v NZ challenge in Sydney.
Non-PBA career highlights: Winner 2016 Six Nations International Triples in Christchurch; Silver 2015 Asia-Pacific Champ Fours in Christchurch.
Career head-to-head record: 1-0 v Glassey; 1-0 v Merrilees; 1-0 v Ashton.