Sponsorship improvement expected

Southland’s Shane Elliott delivers a bowl while his opponent Andy McLean looks on at the PBA...
Southland’s Shane Elliott delivers a bowl while his opponent Andy McLean looks on at the PBA finals at the Westpac Bowls Stadium in Dunedin earlier this month. Photo: Gregor Richardson.
The economic upturn is expected to bring more sponsorship dollars into the New Zealand PBA and make it easier for bowlers to travel to international events in the United Kingdom.

Before the world economic crisis in 2008, bowlers had all their expenses paid for the PBA World Series events.

It made it more difficult for New Zealand bowlers when some of the international sponsors withdrew their funding at this time.

At the moment bowlers who qualify to compete in the United Kingdom have additional out-of-pocket expenses.

But the future looks brighter.

"Sooner rather than later we will be able to fully support all travel to PBA events in the United Kingdom," New Zealand chairman Richard Corry said.

Before the crash there was talk of bringing some World Series events to New Zealand and Australia.

But this was put on the back-burner over the last eight years.

Australia and New Zealand took steps to sustain southern hemisphere interest in the PBA by starting the annual Trans Tasman Challenge seven years ago.

Corry is positive about the future.

"We will have a new indoor venue at Wellington and the New Zealand PBA finals weekend will be held there next year," he said.

"The Naenae club is relocating and it is a $6million project that is supported by the Lower Hutt City Council."

There will be a full-size indoor green and three outdoor greens.

"The growth we expect in Wellington will enable us to financially support all domestic travel to national finals."

The PBA is a professional organisation that provides a high standard of competition during the winter.

"This makes it a proving ground for junior players," Corry said.

Corry grew up in Dunedin and played for the Kaikorai club before shifting to Wellington.

He is a nephew of former Dunedin Commonwealth Games and World Bowls champion Ian Dickison.

The opening of the indoor green at the Westpac Bowls Stadium in 1995 gave a big boost to the PBA in the south.

"Dunedin has always been the largest branch of the New Zealand PBA. There is a great atmosphere here," Corry said.

"I worked here briefly in 1996 and all the furnishings still look brand new."

Lusby farewelled in style

The lounge at the Westpac Stadium was packed for the memorial service for PBA member Aidan Lusby who died suddenly this month.

Auckland bowler Phil Austin has donated the Aidan Lusby Memorial Trophy for the winners of the world indoor pairs qualifying event from next year.

Lusby joined the PBA in 2009 and was ranked sixth on the national list when he died. His highest ranking was fifth, in 2014.

His highlight was to represent the New Zealand PBA at the international singles in 2013 when he was beaten by former world champion Andy Thomson (England) 9-6, 5-5 in the first round.

NZ team selected

The New Zealand team for next year’s Trans Tasman Challenge is: Murray Glassey (Hawke’s Bay), Laurie Guy (Wellington), Bart Robertson (North Harbour), Andrew Kelly (Canterbury) and Craig Merrilees (Southland).

Glassey was the top-ranked bowler at the end of the PBA season and Debbie Wilford (Taranaki) the top woman.

The top rookie was Ross Stevens (Dunedin).

Kelly, who started his bowls in Oamaru, impressed with his ability to play shots under pressure during the PBA finals at Dunedin.

In the past Kelly had "lost it" when the pressure was on.

"My ability to cope with pressure now has been due to the help I’ve had from the sports psychologists of the Black Jacks," Kelly said.

It helped him to win the international pairs with Andy McLean and the Shanghai singles at the PBA finals in Dunedin.

Hurleys dominant

The Bannockburn husband and wife team of Gloria (69) and Kevin (74) Hurley dominated Central Otago indoor bowls this winter.

Gloria won four Central Otago titles and Kevin was in three of her teams.Gloria reached a significant milestone when she won her 15th Central Otago title and gained her third gold star in the champion of champion’s triples with Kevin and Carol Sanford.Gloria, who started playing bowls 35 years ago, won the champion of champion’s singles, pairs, triples and fours.

Kevin, who first played bowls in Dunedin at the age of 16, won his 11th Central Otago title in the triples and Sanford her second title.

"I’m quite astonished to see how I’ve played this year," Gloria said.

"The luck has certainly been with me. It’s been a big surprise."

Gloria grew up in Port Chalmers and the couple have lived in Cromwell for 38 years. Kevin has also represented Otago and Central Otago at golf.

Wilson, Grant still on top

Robert Wilson (Clutha RSA) and Eileen Grant (Lawrence) remain top of the South Otago indoor bowls leader board after they both won the championship singles this month.

Wilson won the two-life-system men’s title from Ian Bennett (Te Houka) and Chris Moffitt (Paretai).Grant topped the women’s event ahead of Kathryn Edgar (Tapanui) and Biddy Craig (Waitepeka).

The leading South Otago champions are Wilson and Grant 23 titles, Wynette McLachlan, Ian Dickison 16, Wynston McLachlan 14, Russell McLachlan, David Grant 13, Charlie Hale 12.

Doug Grant (Glenledi) won the South Otago Bowler of the Year title with 38 points from Eileen Grant and Shona Preddy (Paretai) 32 and Alanna Preddy (Paretai) 30.

Doug Grant won the open singles, Henselite singles, triples and was runner-up in the mixed pairs.

The competitive highlight for South Otago came at the New Zealand championships at Tauranga, when Stephen Preddy and Kathryn Edgar finished runner-up in the fours with two Ashburton bowlers.

The last time South Otago bowlers reached the national final was in 1994, when Colin Tiffany and Colleen Fenton were runners-up in the pairs.

Wilson, Kathryn Edgar and Alanna Preddy represented the South Island.

Preddy won a New Zealand medal in the fours with three wins from three games.

Paretai won the drawn pairs title for the third successive year when Chris Moffitt and Hannah Botting (16) beat Peter Grant and Peter Mathieson (Glenledi) 8-4 in the final.

Brosnan breaks drought

Kevin Brosnan (Burnside) returned to the winner’s circle after a gap of four years when he won the Otago champion of champions triples title with Chris Moffitt and Alana Preddy.

They beat Daniel French, Lyn Rance and Max Grey (Green Island) 13-9.

It was the ninth title for Brosnan and the first Dunedin title for Moffitt and Preddy, who also play for Paretai, in South Otago.Craig Cowan (Henley) won his ninth Otago title in the champions pairs with son-in-law Paul van Tuel when they beat Kristen Gould and Lindsay Scott (Brockville) 13-6. It was the first title for van Tuel.

Ross Garner, James Horton, Richard Baird and Warren McConnell (Mornington) won the men’s Smaill Trophy and Amanda Katipa, Tracey van Tuel, Raewyn Black and Helen Spittle (Henley) the women’s Crawford Cup.

Paul and Tracey van Tuel (Henley) beat Barry and Michelle Cadogan (Momona) 7-4 in the husband-and-wife pairs final.

Lyn Rance and Max Grey (Green Island) beat Peter Earl (Vauxhall) and Rhonda Switalla (Prince Albert) 11-6 in the mixed pairs final.

Second title for Shiferaw

Nicky Shiferaw (Eveline) won her second North Otago title when she beat Rosey Oliver (Meadowbank) 11-8 in the women’s champions singles.

Club mate Gordon Robb beat Wally Strachan (Meadowbank) 11-9 in the men’s final.

Mike Howard, Sue Jones and Ngare Smart (Oamaru) beat Gordon Robb, Dianna McGregor and Emma Robb (Eveline) 5-1 in the triples final.

Gordon Robb, Cliff Ormandy, Nicky Shiferaw and Dianna McGregor beat Denise Lewis, Rosey Oliver, Barbara Allan and Graham Warden (Meadowbank) 11-7 in the championship fours final. 

 

Indoor bowls
Centre titles

23: Robert Wilson (South Otago), Eileen Grant (South Otago).
15:  Gloria Hurley (Central Otago).
11:  Kevin Hurley (Central Otago).
9: Craig Cowan (Otago), Kevin Brosnan (Otago).
4: Cliff Ormandy (North Otago).
3: Nicky Shiferaw (North Otago), Doug Grant (South Otago).
2: Carol Sanford (Central Otago).

First: Paul van Tuel (Otago), Chris Moffitt (Otago), Alana Preddy (Otago).

Bowler of the year: Doug Grant (South Otago).

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