Bowls: Dickison's return adds intrigue

By Graham Skellern

The reappearance of former world champion and New Zealand representative Ian Dickison will add intrigue to the 84th national bowls championships in Christchurch over the next fortnight.

The 46-year-old Dickison, who now lives and plays successfully on the Gold Coast, has entered all three events (singles, pairs, fours) for the first time in six years.

"I'm just coming over to play with three good mates. It will be a nice holiday," said Dickison, who last played for New Zealand at the Pacific Games in 1993 and left for Australia a year later.

Dickison has always wanted to complete the set of titles by winning the fours championship, which begins with qualifying play today. He won the pairs with his brother Phil in 1981 and the singles in 1985, both times in Auckland.

Dickison is teaming up with three "old" Dunedin Kaikorai clubmates - Stewart McConnell, Geoff Wilson and his brother-in-law Trevor Hall.

"I haven't seen any of them play bowls for a long time, but at least we will be
a very compatible team."

They will be competitive, all right.

Like Dickison, McConnell is a former New Zealand representative. And Dickison teamed with his golfing buddy Wilson to lose the national pairs final in 1984 on an extra end to Helensville's Ivan Kostanich and Pat Robertson.

"You know, I can't remember if Geoff and I played another game together after that. We certainly played a lot of golf together," said Dickison. He and Wilson are again playing the pairs in Christchurch, with qualifying on January 5.

Though he says he is not chasing it, a polished performance in Christchurch could mean a recall to the international scene for Dickison, the 1986 Commonwealth Games singles gold medallist, 1988 world triples champion and still one of New Zealand's most accomplished bowlers.

He will also be a danger in the singles, with qualifying on January 4, after beating some of Australia's leading players to win the $25,000 Tweed Heads Mixed Open singles in July.

"I am quite happy with my game. I'm a more complete bowler than when I left New Zealand, particularly in skipping teams. I don't play any loose games anymore; you can't afford to over here [in Australia] or else you will get beaten."

With the New Zealand men's team certain to be reconstructed following their poor performance at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Dickison could fit in as the singles player or skip of the fours.

Incumbents Rowan Brassey and Peter Belliss, the 1988 world pairs champions, are likely to team up again as a pair in the New Zealand team to play the transtasman test series in Sydney in May.

"I've no ambition to play for Australia, Queensland or even the Gold Coast," said Dickison, who has dual New Zealand/Australia citizenship, "so I can vote over here."

"I am conscious of New Zealand's lack of performance and that you have a new selection panel who I have the utmost confidence in. If the panel wanted to discuss the prospects with me then I would be happy to talk with them.

"I'm playing the best bowls of my career. I'm not over the hill and if the panel feel I can be of value then I would consider it [playing for New Zealand].

That's as far as I can go."

Over the past four years, while he consistently showed he was one of the leading players in Queensland, Dickison was slightly aggrieved that the previous New Zealand selectors took no notice - though they picked the Sunshine Coast-based Belliss who had had less success on the same hunting ground.

"I felt the previous selection panels were not doing their homework. They lacked integrity," said Dickison. "I was told by one selector that I was being considered for the 1994 Commonwealth Games. I heard nothing more and I was in
the Victorian state team - where's the integrity there?"

A strong performance at the national championships could also launch "comeback kid" Gary Lawson back into the international reckoning.

After "retiring" from the game in March, the bowling fanatic Lawson is back chasing his eighth national title and fifth fours championship with another solid combination of Kelvin Scott, the defending singles champion, Stephen Ditfort and Shayne Sincock, all from Belfast in Canterbury.

Lawson and Scott are also playing the pairs together and will be a definite threat.