Bowls: Rep season begins for bowlers

Grant Hassall

Taranaki’s leading bowlers are now ready to move up a gear, with the season beginning in earnest.

This weekend heralds the commencement of the major Vospers-sponsored women’s interclub, with six clubs vying for the division one crown at Stratford-Avon on Sunday. There are 10 sides in the second division, with play at West End and Opunake.

Paritutu, the winner of division one the past three seasons, will commence as firm favourites, but nothing is guaranteed on a bowling green.

They will square off against West End, Tower, and Fitzroy on Sunday. Play will then resume for the final two rounds on November 16 when Paritutu will meet Stratford-Avon and New Plymouth at West End.

Paritutu will have the luxury this week of calling on Briar Atkinson (pictured), who faces an ever-increasing gruelling programme.

Atkinson, who competed in the prestigious North East Valley mixed pairs with Kaylin Huwyler last weekend, will then play in her second Hong Kong international classic the following weekend.

Atkinson will combine with Selina Goddard in the Pearl of the Orient, an event which runs between November 9-17.

Later in November, Atkinson will again represent New Zealand Under-26 in the Oceania Challenge in Auckland. In the first edition of that competition in April 2023, Atkinson won gold in the women’s pairs. Taranaki’s representation in the World Bowls-sanctioned event extends to Huwyler and Camron Horo, who are both part of the Aotearoa Maori side. Nathan Goodin has been selected as a reserve in the same team.

Huwyler, too, faces an aggressive schedule. He competes in the Scottish International singles in Livingston, 28kms from Edinburgh, next week.

That commitment will mean that Huwyler will miss the first major men’s championship on the local scene – the Metcalfe Real Estate-sponsored centre fours. Huwyler has been in the winning team on the last three occasions, along with Goodin and Aidan Zittersteijn, who is spending this season playing and working in Melbourne. Hamish Kape skipped the trio to victory in 2021 and 2022, with Horo the fourth member last season.

Goodin will attempt to make it four in a row, teaming up this time under the Rahotu banner with Horo, Joel Chard and Shae Fleming. They play at Manaia, a section which will be a tasty test for some teams. Grant Anderson, as a case in point, will play Darren Goodin and Craig De Faria in the opening two games.

Teams require two wins from three games to advance to post section at Manaia on Sunday.

Other noted teams in the field include Maurice Symes, Dean Elgar and Scott Roberts.