Bowls: Manurewa pairs showdown attracts field of champions

Seventeen national champions - including the latest one, young Aucklander Justin Goodwin - will be on show this long weekend when the Manurewa club celebrates staging their 21st invitation pairs bowls tournament.

After it began in 1979 as "the players' tournament", the William Grant's has established itself as the longest-running and most important pairs event outside the national championships.

Goodwin, who beat Palmerston North's Philip Skoglund jun in the final of the New Zealand singles, is looking for further success with two-times national fours champion Ivan Marsic. Section qualifying play begins this morning.

Petar Sain, who collected his second national title by winning the fours in Christchurch, partners Goodwin's Hillsboro club-mate Neven Grgicevich, a singles semifinalist in last year's nationals in Wellington.

Goodwin and Grgicevich, along with Anthony Quinn, Gavin Brown, Kerry Chapman and Dwayne Cameron, are all talented bowlers still in their 20s and sure to make an impact at Manurewa.

But the experienced combination of Maurice Symes (Wellington) and Geoff Hawken (Gold Coast), the national pairs winners in 1985, will not be rolling over very easily as they seek a hat-trick of victories.

The tournament was robbed of some interest when "the comeback kid" Gary Lawson withdrew. He was due to form an intriguing combination with another controversial figure, former international David File (Gisborne). But File has a more than adequate replacement in Cameron, a New Zealand under 25 representative.

Other past champions playing again are Rex Knox (Wellington)/Jim Scott (Dunedin), Gordon Duggie (Dunedin), Maurice Hickey, Sid Giddy (both Mt Maunganui), and Barry Drabble/Dave Emirali (Manurewa), who along with Hillsboro's Ivan Botica, have contested all 21 events.

Many of the country's leading players - and Australian bowlers as well - have traditionally landed in Auckland for the Anniversary Weekend. Some head across the harbour bridge to contest the Browns Bay club's FAI Classic Pairs for total prizemoney of $18,400.

Wellington's Rob Ashton/Adam Newman will defend their title after last year beating Bay of Plenty representatives Chris Smith/Robbie Aitken who are again entered.

But the combination that should attract the biggest attention is three times national champion Ivan Kostanich playing alongside young Danny Delany, who skipped an unheralded Rawhiti side to victory in the Taranaki Open Fours.

It is a meeting of the generations with more than 50 years separating the age of Delany and the 77-year-old Kostanich.

Both finals of the invitation pairs events will be held on Monday afternoon, with the Manurewa winners earning a trip to the Warilla Invitation Pairs in New South Wales and the Browns Bay champions taking home $4000 between them.