RELAXED RESTRICTIONS PERFECTLY TIMED FOR PROFESSIONAL BOWLS

The New Zealand Government relaxing of the country’s COVID-19 alert level 2 restrictions was perfectly timed to allow the commencement of this winter’s New Zealand Professional Bowls Association programme this weekend for three of the seven indoor stadium venues. NZ PBA will get under way on Saturday at the Frankton Railway Club in Hamilton, the Hastings Club, and the Waverley Club in Invercargill each hosting three tournaments over Queen’s Birthday Weekend. Each starts with a fun three-way singles qualifier known as Shanghai from which the national winner will receive travel money for the 2021 Australian Open, and then hold a ‘Rankings’ singles, and qualifiers for the Scottish Singles scheduled for November in Scotland.

Feature first round match-ups for the Scottish Singles qualifiers look to be Hamilton coordinator and former NZ number one Chris Lourie playing NZ’s entrant in the World Under 25 Singles event in January Jesse Russell, and this year’s World Indoor Singles participant Craig Tinker facing the NZ PBA’s 2016 Scottish Singles representative Sheldon Bagrie-Howley in Invercargill.

The other four NZ venues will open their PBA events in July including the new Auckland indoor venue at the Remuera Club, the Paritutu Club in New Plymouth, the Naenae complex in Wellington, and the Dunedin Lawn Bowls Stadium.

Bowlers throughout the country are showing a hunger to return to the green and the NZ PBA could be heading for a record membership for the third year in a row with particularly encouraging sign-up in the Auckland and Hamilton regions.

The NZ PBA executive are continuing to monitor the situation in the Northern Hemisphere and may have to adjust travel prizes depending on whether World Bowls Tour events proceed or New Zealanders are allowed to travel to the UK.

(2019 ranking)name v name [PBA singles career head-to-head record]

Frankton Railway Bowling Club, Hamilton:
Saturday 30^th May – Shanghai Singles Qualifier. Draw at 8.30am.
Sunday 31^st May – Ranking Singles
9am 1^st round: (debut)Scott Harrison v (debut)Frank Aldridge; (109)Graeme Goss v (debut)Stuart Chapman; (78)Steve Liddington v (25)Gary Cotter [1-0 Cotter]; (98)Richard Watt v (205)Jason Dickinson [1-0 Watt]; (debut)Ashleigh Jeffcoat v (9)Jesse Russell; (debut)Nicholas Tomsett v (46)Mark Pene; (6)Chris Lourie v (150)Kevin Beasley; (debut)Nicolette Aldridge v (52)Cliff Webber; (11)Alan Bowler v (debut)Warwick Catchpole; (291)Leanne Poulson v (51)Lisa Mundell; (86)Peter McGirr v (104)David Ball; (194)Debbie White v (194)Clayton Hockley.
12noon 2^nd round: (100)Tony Fabling v (159)Graham Skellern; (125)Taylor Horn v (debut)Kimberley Hemingway.
Monday 1^st June – Scottish Singles Qualifier
9am 1^st round: (194)Clayton Hockley v (104)David Ball; (109)Graeme Goss v (11)Alan Bowler [1-0 Goss]; (debut)Warwick Catchpole v (194)Debbie White; (6)Chris Lourie v (9)Jesse Russell [1-0 Russell]; (25)Gary Cotter v (205)Jason Dickinson; (98)Richard Watt v (78)Steve Liddington [1-0 Liddington]; (52)Cliff Webber v (debut)Nicholas Tomsett; (125)Taylor Horn v (86)Peter McGirr; (debut)Ashleigh Jeffcoat v (150)Kevin Beasley; (159)Graham Skellern v (debut)Stuart Chapman.
12noon 2^nd round: (debut)Nicolette Aldridge v (46)Mark Pene; (51)Lisa Mundell v (debut)Frank Aldridge; (100)Tony Fabling v (debut)Kimberley Hemingway.