Bowls: Rain forces play to halt at champs

John Craig of Westend Bowling Club during the National Bowls Championships. Photo / NZ Herald

Atrocious conditions brought an early finish to play at the national bowls championships in Auckland today.

Play was halted after a single round of section play in the men's singles and women's pairs today and it means all players in the men's singles moved through qualifying to post-section play.

It will place considerable pressure on the schedule, with more than 250 competitors rolling up on Monday for the first round of the men's singles in the sudden-death format.

Teams who had won at least two matches from four advanced in the women's pairs, which will also start on Monday. Six rounds had been scheduled in qualifying.