Bowls is expected to be added to the International Olympic Committee sports later this year and could be played at future Summer Olympics.
The IOC has changed the application process to recognise sports.
‘‘Bowls administrators have not had the opportunity to submit an application because it did not have enough affiliate countries to get past stage one in the application process,'' Bowls New Zealand chief executive Kerry Clark said.
Under the former criterion, sports needed to be played in 75 countries. It has now been reduced to 50 for the Summer Olympics. Bowls has 52 affiliated countries.
‘‘If bowls ticks all the boxes, there is a good case for the sport to be recognised in its own right by the International Olympic Committee,'' Clark said.
The United Kingdom competes as one country at the Olympics but, for the purpose of its application, bowls will be able to claim Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland as separate countries.
‘‘The No1 benefit is the recognition. There is also money from the IOC that can be used for development activities.
‘‘The IOC has a lot of support materials and an army of people and programmes that are available to their members but not to non-members. It would be huge for bowls to get in.''
Smith celebrates 21st
Greg Smith (Phoenix) joined an elite group of North Otago bowlers when he won the North Otago champion of champions pairs with Phil Hope when they beat Maheno's Allan Holmes and Graeme Fisher 22-8 last weekend.
It was the 21st centre title for Smith and the fourth title for Hope.
Brian Papps tops the North Otago list with 34 titles and he is followed by Russell McDonald 27, Ken Piner 23, Snow Rudduck 22 and Smith 21. The top women are Val Lee 23 and Kerry Kelly 22.
Barbara Allan won her fifth title and North Otago gold star when the Meadowbank triples team beat Awamoa 16-14. It was the 11th title for Dorothy Breen and the first for June Parker.
Bob Wilson won his 15th centre title when Awamoa beat Phoenix to win the champion of champions fours. It was the fifth title and gold star for Bob Mason and the first for Terry Lake and Dave Atkinson.
The champion of champions men's veterans singles was won by Rowan Breen (Meadowbank) and the women's by Brenda Hope (Phoenix).
Honour for McDonald
Annie McDonald (Awamoa) has been named the North Otago woman bowler of the year. She topped the list with 12 points and was followed by Gail Douglas (Phoenix) 11, Daphne Campbell (Meadowbank) 11, Brenda Hope (Phoenix) 10 and Kerry Kelly (Phoenix) 9.
The women's development player of the year was Joyce Smillie (Meadowbank), with six points and she was followed by Barbara Merlin (Meadowbank), with five, and Barbara Allan (Meadowbank), with four.
Another title for Philip
Allan Philip won his third title of the season and his seventh South Otago title when Milton won the champion of champions triples. It was the 13th title for Brian ‘‘Snow'' Cowie and the first for Raymond Low.
Skip Ian Bennett won his first South Otago title when Finegand beat Kaka Point to win the champion of champions fours last weekend. It was the sixth title for David Roxburgh, the fourth for Charlie Wyndham and the third for Ken Harrison.
Milestone for Buchanan
Christine Buchanan (Queenstown) reached a significant milestone when she won her fifth Central Otago title of the summer in the champion of champions pairs.
Buchanan and Debra Lloyd beat Daphne Guise and Trish Maher (Clyde) 23-7. It was the 14th centre title for Lloyd and her fourth for the season.
It was the 20th title for Buchanan, who has been playing bowls only since she shifted from Invercargill to Queenstown eight years ago.
Buchanan won the open pairs and triples and champion of champions pairs, triples and fours.
Alexandra's Linley O'Callaghan is the leading Central Otago women's player with 33 titles and is followed by Margaret O'Connor (Queenstown) with 29, and Buchanan and Lyn Somerville (Alexandra) with 20.
Clyde pair to fore
The Clyde pair of Alister Watson and Russell Laing both won their second Central Otago titles in the champion of champions pairs.
Debbie Jackson (Arrowtown) won the junior women's champion of champions singles and Brian McLean (Alexandra) the men's event.
The junior women's open singles was won by Andrea Dowman (Queenstown) and the men's event by Richie Muir (Wanaka).
O'Connor recognised
Margaret O'Connor (Queenstown) was named the Central Otago women bowler of the year with 32 points. Buchanan was the runner-up with 30 points.
Tom Malcolm (Wanaka) and Bill Clements (Alexandra) were joint winners of the men's trophy with 26 points and were followed by Trevor Ludlow (Alexandra) on 24 points.
The junior bowlers of the year were Debbie Jackson (women) and Alexandra's Brian McLean (men).
Promotion for combined team
Port Chalmers and West Harbour combined forces for interclub bowls this summer and won the Four Fours competition to earn promotion to the Bridgman Plate next season.
Both clubs have a player shortage and the move was necessary to field a team in the regular interclub competition. Port Chalmers has 34 members and West Harbour 18.
It was a sensible decision to give the players regular interclub bowls each week.‘‘It was very successful and could lead to possible amalgamation in the future,'' Port Chalmers executive delegate Bruce Malcolm said.
Malcolm, the New Zealand pairs champion with Gordon Duggie in 1990, skipped one four and the other skips were former Ravensbourne premier rugby player Mamanu Mamanu, Dave Morris and Brian Evans.
Other key players in the team were George Gardiner and Mike Kerral.
Taieri dominant
The Taieri club again dominated women's bowls in Dunedin by winning the Stuart Trophy, the Saturday fives, Tuesday interclub, Ballard Brooch and interclub sevens. Helen Carman won the junior singles.
The open fours was won by Janet Swallow, Barbara Archer, Raylene Walshaw and Shona Morrison and the open triples by Judy Robertson, Jean Young and Beth Brown. These teams will contest the national finals in Hamilton next week.
Cabral in top form
Peter Cabral (Green Island) was named the player of the tournament at the Southland Easter indoor bowls tournament in Invercargill. It is one of the best early-season tournaments in the South Island and always attracts strong fields.
Cabral won the pairs title with promising Southlander Grant Kean and was runner-up in the singles. Cabral is a talented member of the strong Green Island indoor bowls club and won the Otago champion of champions triples title in 2013.
King's retains trophy King's retained the Old Boys Trophy when it beat Otago Boys' in the 13 annual ex-pupils' bowls clash this month by 10.5 to 5.5 points.
Otago Boys' won the inaugural event in 2004 but King's has held the trophy for the past 12 years.
The honours
Centre title milestones
21: Greg Smith (North Otago).20 (3rd bar for gold star): Christine Buchanan (Central Otago).15 (2nd bar for gold star): Bob Wilson (North Otago).
Five (gold star): Barbara Allan (North Otago), Bob Mason (North Otago).
One (first title): June Parker (North Otago), Terry Lake (North Otago), Dave Atkinson (North Otago), Raymond Low (South Otago), Ian Bennett (South Otago).
Bowlers of the year: Annie McDonald (North Otago women), Margaret O'Connor (Central Otago women), Tom Malcolm and Bill Clements (Central Otago men).
