The Munro family team of Ross, John delivering bowl, Brent
and Ken, at the Dunedin Festival Fours at the Wakari green
yesterday. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Evangelists tell us that a family that prays together
stays together. Bowls is the game that gets a family back
together.
The "Munro Clan" demonstrated this at the annual Dunedin
Festival Fours at the Wakari green yesterday.
Bowls is the catalyst for regular Munro family reunions.
It is the fourth time they have played together in a major
open tournament.
Brothers Ken (68), John (63) and Ross (62) were joined by
Brent (45), the son of Ken, in the family four that braved
the wintry conditions to win its two games.
The green was white with hail at one stage and another heavy
shower forced the third game to be abandoned at 3.45pm.
Ken and Brent are members of the Te Rangi club in
Invercargill, John plays for Fairfield in Dunedin and Ross
for Forbury Park. John, Ross and Ken were backed by wives
Clare, Gloria and Frances, who cheered them on from the
sidelines.
They could not be mistaken on the green because the colourful
Clan Munro symbol on the backs of their shirts.
The family four first played together at the New Zealand
championships in Dunedin three years ago and they have since
played in the national championships in Christchurch, and in
the Wanaka tournament.
It is special this time because Ken and Frances are shifting
to Adelaide to join their children and grandchildren.
It was going to be the last family tournament together, but
this could change because Ken and Frances are tempted to come
back to Dunedin for next season's New Zealand championships.
It was a close-knit family of four sons and three daughters
when they grew up at Mosgiel.
They enjoy each other's company and take every chance to get
back together.
Donald (55), the baby of the family, lives in Christchurch
and has not yet played bowls.
"We have always been a closely knit family and it is good to
get together. We all love the game," Ross, a retired
slaughterman, said.
He has played bowls for 13 years.
John, an aviation security officer, is the best performed
sportsman in the family and played a decade of premier rugby
at centre for Taieri, from the 1960s.
He was the first to start bowls, 25 years ago.
He has won two Bowls Dunedin titles and was a member of the
Fairfield club team that won the New Zealand interclub Sevens
early this century.
His wife Clare, who has played bowls for 23 years and has won
a Central Otago title, enjoys the family reunions.
"Bowls has brought us closer together," she said.
Ken, also a retired slaughterman, played 20 years of senior
cricket for Taieri and had reduced his golf handicap to nine
when he started bowls in 1991.
He won the Southland fours title four years ago and has
played for Southland junior teams.
Ken and his wife Frances, intend to continue playing bowls in
Adelaide.
Brent, a sawmill worker at Winton, followed his father into
the sport 13 years ago.
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