Masterton Bowling Club aiming to attract new players

Masterton Bowling Club are about to initiate a programme aimed at encouraging more people to take up the sport
They are offering free tuition from their club coaches on "new bowler" days planned for Wednesday, November 26, Friday, November 28 and Sunday, November 30.
President Karl Taucher said fun games would also be arranged with current members so that the newcomers could also experience the camerarderie which bowl provides.
"No longer should bowls be seen as an old people's game, it's got something for everyone no matter what their age group," Taucher said.
"And it's relatively simple to learn, that's something in its favour as well.".
In a further attempt to encourage new members the Masterton club is offering a special discounted membership for first year players and social members. "We want to make it as accessible as we possibly can," Taucher said.
Meanwhile,. Wairarapa senior men's selector David Petersen has named his two sides to play Kapiti in the annual representative match to be played at the Levin Central Bowling Club on Sunday, November 25.
Petersen said he would be watching form closely with an eye to selecting six players for the central region inter-provincial tournament early in the Yew Year.
The teams are:-
Wairarapa Green.-Singles: Ian Monaghan (Masterton).Pairs: John Claydon (Masterton) and Laurie Field (Masterton). Triples: Les O'Donmovan (Featherston), Peter McGillicuddy (Martinborough), Gary Caffell (Masterton).
Wairarapa Red.-Singles: Hannam Lambert (Eketahuna).Pairs: Kevin Drysdale (Eketahuna) and Stuart Campbell (Eketahuna). Triples: Bill Nicholson (Masterton), Gordon Reynolds (Masterton), Mark Morete (Masterton).
Also named today by selector Warren Wyeth were the Wairarapa development squad men's teams to play their Kapiti counterparts at a Wairarapa venue yet to be confirmed on November 25.They are:-
Wairarapa Green.-Singles: Warren Fisher (Masterton).Pairs: Peter Walker (Masterton), Clive Harper (Masterton). Triples: John Harmon (Eketahuna), John Patterson (featherston), George Littlejohn (Carterton).
Wairarapa Red.-Singles: Skip Davies (Park).Pairs: Nathan Bowden (Lansdowne), Blain Stark (Lansdowne).Triples: Bruce Howe (Featherston), Martin Sears (South End) and Peter Gibbs (Masterton).
The Trusts New Zealand open bowls championships are being played at the Henderson Bowling Club in Auckland with the finals set down for Thursday, November 27.
Top talent from all over the country and Australia have filed into Auckland, not only in search of the prize money and esteem that the titles would bring but also to catch the eye of the national selectors.
Many of New Zealand's top youngsters are included in the men's field, players such as Isaac Denny, Nick Buttar, Ricky Cook and Arthur Kelly, all from Christchurch,, Matt Gallop and Blake Signal from Wellington, Stephen Wood from Northern and Allan Stewart (Thames).
Abbey Dugdale, originally from Wellington but now domiciled in Dunedin where she attends university, is typical of the young female talent who will be on display.
At the other end of the experience spectrum big things can be anticipated from the likes of double world champions Sharon Sims and Patsy Jorgenson, who are both now retired from the international scene, Ivan Kostanich, who won the national singles title 32 years ago, and Ivan Marsic.
Also playing in the qualifying rounds which got underway today were world champion of champions 2007 title holder Tony Grantham of Birkenhead, Jamie Hill of Rawhiti and World Bowls stars Karen Murphy (Australia) and Kay Moran (Scotland).
Members of the current New Zealand and Australia national squads were not required to qualify and will therefore start their campaigns next Monday.They include five players who won gold medals for New Zealand at the world championships in Christchurch last year, Gary Lawson, Richard Girvan, Andrew Todd, Val Smith and Jo Edwards.