Gwen Lawson Northland bowls: Local bowlers hold their own against the best

A resurgence at the Mamaranui Club saw its bowlers competed in all the club championships for men for the first time since 2006. Photo / File

Congratulations to Sue Rokstad, Trevor Reader, Steve Smith, Kevin Robinson and Dennis Brewster who showed their capabilities by qualifying for the singles and/or pairs at the recent national event held in Christchurch.

Well done to all Northland players who had some very close matches against New Zealand's finest representatives in section play. You will have all learned a lot from the competition.

Closer to home, well done to the small Mamaranui Club who recently completed all their club championships for men for the first time since 2006.

A resurgence of bowls in the area means that they have sufficient members to compete all championship events and will hopefully have all areas covered in the Champion of Champion events later in the season.

Winners were:
Singles: B. Lyford
Pairs: B. Wyatt, A. Wyatt
Triples: A. Wyatt, B. Lyford, B. Simpson;
Fours: B. Wyatt, A. Wyatt, R. Clark, B. Stimpson

Next weekend the centre open pairs for men and women will be played. Entries close today.

The men will play in the western area of the centre on day one and the women will play in the Whangārei area.

Please check the centre website to see whether your entry has been received. If not, please contact the centre events manager on 027 329 8011 or 09 437 3050.

Secondary school bowls will be played as any combination pairs at the Kensington greens on Friday, February 14. Entries are accepted by Sport Northland from any secondary school in Northland.

Entry is $10 per player. Please enter through your school and the Sport Northland website.

This competition will be followed by a New Zealand event in Auckland on March 31 and April 1. Entry to this event will be free for any secondary school players from outside of Auckland. Check the Auckland and New Zealand websites for further information.

The Mercedes Cup inter-club sixes for 1-5 year bowlers will be played on Monday, January 27, at Kensington. This is a club competition and the winner will represent Northland in the regional final to be played in May.

Teams will comprise single, pairs and triples. If clubs do not have sufficient players to form a team, two small clubs (less than 20 members) may combine to form a team.

The entry form is on page 91 of the centre handbook and entries close on Thursday, January 16. Entry fee $60 per team.

The Centre is also accepting entries for the junior (1-5 year) singles and the centre first year singles. Enter via the website, email or entry form in the handbook. Clubs, please help and support your first year bowlers to enter this event now.

Northland umpires advise that their next general meeting will be held at Bowls Whangārei on Friday, January 17, at 9.30am. Please mark this date in your diary and make a new year resolution to attend.