Latest fromRichard Corry 27 May 2022

2022 PBA SEASON GETS UNDERWAY

The 2022 New Zealand Professional Bowls Association season gets underway on Saturday with ranking singles tournaments at the Remuera club in Auckland and the Naenae club in Wellington. Hopes are high for a more normal season after two years of disruption and border restrictions with international travel once again beckoning for the eventual winners.

Both Auckland and Wellington will play qualifiers for the Scottish Singles on Sunday. The early feature match in Auckland looks to be 2018 Hamilton Scottish Singles qualifier Garry Cotter playing 2020 Auckland Scottish Singles qualifier Joe Whitelaw. In Wellington, NZ number one Ray Martin opens his 2022 qualifying campaign against New Zealand’s 2007 Scottish Singles representative Ray Boffa.

Entries close tonight for Queen’s Birthday Weekend play at the four other venues in New Plymouth, Hastings, Dunedin and Invercargill. Information on the 2022 season is available on the New Zealand branch page at professionalbowlsassocation dot com.

DRAWS

(2021 rank) Player v Player [Career PBA Singles head-to-head]

Remuera, Auckland

Ranking Singles on Sat 28th May

1st round at 8.30am: (144) David Eades v (60) Brian Wilson [1-0 Wilson]; (18) Jesse Russell v (49) Joe Whitelaw [1-0 Russell]; (57) Garry Cotter v (215) Nick Thompson; (125) Lindsay Gilmore v (31) Bart Robertson [1-0 Robertson]; (36) Colin Rogan v (115) Steve Cox [1-0 Rogan]; (144) Doug Thomas v (18) Rob Ashton [1-0 Ashton]; (-) Sean Mulholland v (150) Richard Watt; (23) Steve Hoeft v (226) Hetty Bolscher2nd round at 8.30am: (rookie) Matthiew Lennon v (170) Paul Anderson; (175) Mark Hall v (255) Judy Smith; (302) David Motu v (237) Steve Ramsay; (169) Ian Fisher v (rookie) Paul Price.

Scottish Singles on Sun 29th May

1st round at 8.30am: (169) Ian Fisher v (107) Phil Taylor; (125) Lindsay Gilmore v (23) Steve Hoeft [1-0 Gilmore]; (255) Judy Smith v (144) Doug Thomas; (302) David Motu v (215) Nick Thompson; (150) Richard Watt v (60) Brian Wilson; (18) Rob Ashton v (161) Janine Young; (170) Paul Anderson v (36) Colin Rogan; (rookie) Paul Price v (18) Jesse Russell; (-) Sean Mulholland v (rookie) Matthiew Lennon; (57) Garry Cotter v (49) Joe Whitelaw.2nd round at 8.30am: (31) Bart Robertson v (175) Mark Hall [1-0 Robertson]; (226) Hetty Bolscher v (115) Steve Cox [1-0 Cox]; (237) Steve Ramsay v (144) David Eades [1-0 Eades].

Naenae, Wellington

Ranking Singles on Sat 28th May

1st round at 8.30am: (rookie) Steve Rickman v (86) Lou Newman; (104) Adam Newman v (72) Kennie Critchlow [1-0 Critchlow]; (rookie) Chris Kerr v (167) Lock Chin; (156) Scott Mackenzie v (198) Scott Sinclair-Paton; (rookie) Allan Heald v (rookie) Mark Finlay.2nd round at 8.30am: (rookie) Sonny White v winner Heald/Finlay; (204) Rav Maharaj v (213) Roy Gibb; (107) Ray Boffa v (65) Shane Duncan; (95) Jayden Ravji v (rookie) Gavin Hamlyn; (rookie) Leighton Wilding v (248) Yvonne Gibb; (284) Mike Andrews v (222) Cynthia Evans; (65) Gareth Evans v (52) Jim Swift; (265) Ian McLeod walkover; (rookie) Brian McDermott v (rookie) David Shedlock; (16) Clare Hendra v (113) Rozanna Muriwai [1-0 Hendra]; (76) Steve Critchlow v (-) Carl Northcott; (rookie) Steven Nicoll v (1) Ray Martin; (rookie) Janelle Frew v (74) Laurie Guy; (44) Peter Small v (79) Hayden Frew [1-1].

Scottish Singles on Sun 29th May

1st round at 8.30am: (rookie) Sonny White v (rookie) Gavin Hamlyn; (213) Roy Gibb v (95) Jayden Ravji; (74) Laurie Guy v (167) Lock Chin [2-0 Guy].2nd round at 8.30am: (72) Kennie Critchlow v winner Guy/Chin; (rookie) Steve Rickman v (113) Rozanna Muriwai; (rookie) Mark Finlay v (76) Steve Critchlow; (52) Jim Swift v (rookie) Leighton Wilding; (86) Lou Newman v (rookie) Allan Heald; (16) Clare Hendra walkover; (rookie) David Shedlock v (248) Yvonne Gibb; (198) Scott Sinclair-Paton v (65) Shane Duncan; (104) Adam Newman v (rookie) Steven Nicoll; (1) Ray Martin v (107) Ray Boffa [2-0 Martin]; (rookie) Janelle Frew v (44) Peter Small; (-) Carl Northcott v (rookie) Adrian O’Brien; (284) Mike Andrews v (rookie) Brian McDermott; (65) Gareth Evans v (265) Ian McLeod; (79) Hayden Frew v (rookie) Chris Kerr.

The 1st Live Draw will be at Dunedin Bowls Stadium on Friday night, the 27th of May 2022. 

Results of the Draw will be posted by Niel Louw that night on Facebook and the timings will be sorted by Niel, Ron and Ken, to be posted by Monday night online. 

PBA Latest News 18 May 2022 From Richard Corry

MARTIN RETAINS NO.1; ROGAN WINS SCOTTISH AGAIN; BIG PAYDAY FOR ZITTERSTEIJN; NEW PLYMOUTH TOP BRANCH

There were plenty of headline acts during the delayed 2021 NZ PBA Finals Weekend at the Hopes Dunedin Bowls Stadium over the weekend. As the World Bowls Tour season has already been played, the qualifiers were not playing for trips to the UK, but instead for $1500 prizemoney for the respective winners and plenty of other trophies as well.

Wellington’s Ray Martin retained his New Zealand year end number one trophy for the third year winning the World Indoor Singles playoffs beating Hawkes Bay’s Dean Drummond 6-5, 9-6 in the final. However, Drummond did win the Shanghai Singles which is a fun tournament with three players in each match but with a serious prize of a holiday on the Gold Coast. Drummond beat the top NZ Woman Clare Hendra and new Dunedin coordinator Niel Louw 31-29-15 in a tight final.

North Harbour’s Colin Rogan won the Scottish Singles playoffs for a third time having previously won them in 2017 and 2019 beating Manawatu’s Ross Ellery 9-5, 9-2. Unfortunately that was one of two finals Ellery went down, also falling to Taranaki’s Aidan Zittersteijn in a very close match in the International Singles 8-7, 8-8. The 22-year old Zittersteijn had a big payday not only taking the $1500 for that win, but also snaring another $1500 as who would have been New Zealand’s nominee for the World Under 25 Singles. He needed that last gasp win over Ellery to overtake Tom Taiaroa in the rankings.

It finished a memorable weekend for the New Plymouth branch with the pair of Gavin Scrivener and Craig De Faria taking the World Indoor Pairs final over Bay of Plenty’s Jack Giddy and David Jones 9-6, 8-6, and New Plymouth being awarded the inaugural Inter-Branch trophy donated and presented by Ken Walker.

The 2022 New Zealand PBA team hopefully to play the Australian PBA later in the year will include the best kiwi from the last held event Andrew Kelly, Martin, Southland’s Sheldon Bagrie-Howley, Whanganui’s Scrivener, and Southland’s Craig Merrilees survived by one ranking point over Drummond.

Information on the 2022 season to begin on the 28^th May in Auckland and Wellington is available on the New Zealand branch page at professionalbowlsassocation dot com with the first entries closing in those two venues this Friday.

2021 NZ PBA Finals Weekend Results and Prizes

Scottish Singles

Quarterfinals: Ross Ellery (Manawatu) bt Jeff Nowell (Canterbury) 8-7, 5-11, 2-1; Craig Merrilees (Southland) bt Gavin Scrivener (Whanganui) 5-10, 14-1, 2-0.
Semifinals: Ellery bt Merrilees 8-7, 8-8; Colin Rogan (North Harbour) bt Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) 2-10, 11-5, 2-1.
Final: Colin Rogan (North Harbour) bt Ross Ellery (Manawatu) 9-5, 9-2.
Colin Rogan wins $1500

International Singles

Quarterfinals: Sheldon Bagrie-Howley (Southland) bt Mike Isaacson (Hawkes Bay) 9-6, 9-6; Aidan Zittersteijn (Taranaki) bt Colin Rogan (North Harbour) 7-4, 4-9, 2-1.
Semifinals: Zittersteijn bt Bagrie-Howley 8-8, 9-5; Ross Ellery (Manawatu) bt Craig Tinker (Southland) 8-8,, 9-4.
Final: Aidan Zittersteijn (Taranaki) bt Ross Ellery (Manawatu) 8-7, 8-8.
Aidan Zittersteijn wins $1500
Zittersteijn also wins $1500 as who would have been the World Under 25 Singles nominee.

World Singles

Quarterfinals: Ray Martin (Wellington) bt Elliot Mason (Dunedin) 8-3, 7-9, 2-1; Craig Tinker (Southland) bt Aidan Zittersteijn (Taranaki) 9-0, 6-7, 2-1.
Semifinals: Martin bt Tinker 7-4, 8-5; Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) bt David Eades (North Harbour) 8-4, 8-2.
Final: Ray Martin (Wellington) bt Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) 6-5, 9-6.
Ray Martin wins $1500

World Pairs

Quarterfinal: Lyall Spencer & Craig Tinker (Southland) bt Ray Martin & Caleb Hope (Wellington) 7-3, 8-7.
Semifinals: David Jones & Jack Giddy (Bay of Plenty) bt Spencer & Tinker 0-13, 7-5, 2-1;Craig De Faria (Taranaki) & Gavin Scrivener (Whanganui) bt Oliver Mason (Dunedin) & Nick Buttar (Central Otago) 8-7, 9-2.
Final: Craig De Faria (Taranaki) & Gavin Scrivener (Whanganui) bt David Jones & Jack Giddy (Bay of Plenty) 9-6,8-6.
Craig De Faria and Gavin Scrivener win $1500 each

Shanghai Singles

Friday night qualifier winner: Lyall Spencer (Southland)

Semifinals: Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) bt Ian Andrews (Taranaki) and Ray Martin (Wellington) 31-29-25; Niel Louw (Dunedin) bt Spencer and David McNeill (South Canterbury) 31-18-9; Clare Hendra (Wellington) bt Bevan Clark (Southland) and Colin Rogan (North Harbour) 31-30-17.
Final: Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) bt Clare Hendra (Wellington) and Niel Louw (Dunedin) 31-29-15.
Dean Drummond wins a holiday on the Gold Coast
Clare Hendra wins $1500 as who would have been the World Ladies Invitational Singles nominee

Other awards

Best Rookie: Mike Bradshaw
Inter-Branch Trophy: New Plymouth
NZ PBA team to hopefully play the Australian PBA: Andrew Kelly, Ray Martin, Sheldon Bagrie-Howley, Gavin Scrivener and Craig Merrilees.

$1500 PRIZES UP FOR GRABS AT PBA FINALS WEEKEND

With the delay of the 2021 New Zealand Professional Bowls Association Finals Weekend and border restrictions precluding travel to World Bowls Tour events, there will be plenty of prizemoney on offer this weekend at the Hopes Dunedin Bowls Stadium.

Events will start at 5.30pm tonight with a Shanghai Singles qualifier enabling visitors in particular to get to grips with Dunedin’s blue carpet. The winner will join the other Shanghai finalists on Saturday afternoon chasing a holiday on the Gold Coast. Spectators will also be entertained by the country’s top ranked magician Jonathan Usher.

Saturday’s events start at 8.30am with a packed day where scheduling could depend on who wins which matches during the day. There are playoff matches in all the major events – International Singles, Scottish Singles, World Singles and World Pairs during the morning, and the first final is timed for 4pm for the Shanghai Singles. The World Pairs final is scheduled for 6.30pm followed by Iain Seatter performing his famous Dunedin Haggis Ceremony.

The Scottish, International and World Singles and World Pairs all conclude on Sunday with winners earning $1500 each in prizemoney before presentations at 3pm including a new Inter-Branch Trophy donated by long-time local coordinator Ken Walker. This will be the last time we have International Singles playoffs with that event now replaced on the World Bowls Tour calendar by the UK Singles.

With no women in the World Champ playoffs to have earned a notional Ladies Invitation Singles nomination, Clare Hendra is guaranteed $1500 as the top ranked woman. Aidan Zittersteijn is in the box seat to win $1500 as a notional World Under 25 nomination but could be upset by Caleb Hope if Hope won the World Pairs event and Zittersteijn did not win the World Singles playoffs.

Other trophies up from grabs include the Year end number one with the 2019 and 2020 top gun Ray Martin still able to be caught by Sheldon Bagrie-Howley and Gavin Scrivener. Martin and Bagrie-Howley are already assured of making the 2022 New Zealand PBA team to hopefully play the Australian PBA later in the year. Two spots are still up for grabs between Scrivener, Craig Merrilees, Dean Drummond, Oliver Mason, Ross Ellery and Craig Tinker. Canterbury’s Andrew Kelly remains in the team from being the best kiwi the last time that Challenge was played. And Mike Bradshaw is the 2021 Best Rookie.

Information is available on the New Zealand branch page at professionalbowlsassocation dot com.

2021 NZ PBA Finals Weekend Draws

(current NZ PBA rank in brackets)

Scottish Singles

Quarterfinals: (7) Ross Ellery (Manawatu) v (24) Jeff Nowell (Canterbury); (4) Craig Merrilees (Southland) v (3) Gavin Scrivener (Whanganui).Semifinals: (49) Colin Rogan (North Harbour) v (5) Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay)

International Singles

Quarterfinals: (2) Sheldon Bagrie-Howley (Southland) v (10) Mike Isaacson (Hawkes Bay); (16) Aidan Zittersteijn (Taranaki) v (49) Colin Rogan (North Harbour).Semifinals: (7) Ross Ellery (Manawatu) v (8) Craig Tinker (Southland)

World Singles

Quarterfinals: (1) Ray Martin (Wellington) v (12) Elliot Mason (Dunedin); (16) Aidan Zittersteijn (Taranaki) v (8) Craig Tinker (Southland).Semifinals: (5) Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay) v (143) David Eades (North Harbour)

World Pairs

Quarterfinal: (40) Lyall Spencer & (8) Craig Tinker (Southland) v (1) Ray Martin & (27) Caleb Hope (Wellington).Semifinals: (39) David Jones & (159) Jack Giddy (Bay of Plenty) v winner Spencer/Tinker or Martin/Hope; (15) Craig De Faria (Taranaki) & (3) Gavin Scrivener (Whanganui) v (6) Oliver Mason (Dunedin) & (61) Nick Buttar (Central Otago)

Shanghai Singles

Semifinals: Ian Andrews (Taranaki) v Ray Martin (Wellington) v Dean Drummond (Hawkes Bay); David McNeill (South Canterbury) v Friday qualifier v Niel Louw (Dunedin); Colin Rogan (North Harbour) v Bevan Clark (Southland) v Clare Hendra (Wellington)

PBA RESUMES WITH COMPLETION OF 2021 SEASON

The New Zealand Professional Bowls Association will complete its 2021 season this weekend with a long delayed Finals Weekend held over from last year’s Delta variant lockdown. With players switching to outdoor bowls over summer and border restrictions precluding travel to World Bowls Tour events, the end of season Finals Weekend was delayed until this month and offers $1500 prizemoney for each event winner in place of the missed travel to the UK.

And it will be a welcome return to the Hopes Dunedin Bowls Stadium which has been itching to show its hospitality for a big PBA event having had a scheduled Australia v New Zealand Challenge twice cancelled during the Pandemic. All hope that this will be the start of a more normal season without postponements and leading towards a resumption of travel to international PBA events.

This season will see more choice of date and venue for players in the programme as each venue and coordinator accommodates many different local, domestic and international circumstances. Subs remain at $175 with current members needing to pay by next Monday, entries close with local coordinators on the Friday night a week before events are played and the popular live facebook draws will continue.

A new World Bowls Tour event will be played for during the 2022 season – the UK Singles replaces the previous International Singles. This was an experimental event played near Newcastle for the first time in March which had a whole indoor green in use rather than one portable rink which condensed the tournament to three days.

Information is available on the New Zealand branch page at professionalbowlsassocation dot com.

2022 NZ PBA Dates

• 13 -  15 May: 2021 PBA Finals Weekend in Dunedin
  • Shanghai Singles qualifying
  • All Finals
• 28 & 29 May: PBA qualifiers* in Auckland (Remuera) & Wellington
  • Ranking Singles
  • Scottish Open Singles qualifying
• 3 - 6 Jun: PBA Qualifiers* in Dunedin
  • Shanghai Singles qualifying
  • Scottish Open Singles qualifying
  • UK Open Singles qualifying
• 4 - 6 Jun: PBA Qualifiers* in New Plymouth, Hastings & Invercargill
  • Shanghai Singles qualifying
  • Ranking Singles
  • Scottish Open Singles qualifying
• 6 Jun: Shanghai SIngles qualifying in Wellington
• 18 & 19 Jun: PBA qualifiers* in New Plymouth
  • World Indoor Singles qualifying
  • World Indoor Pairs qualifying
• 19 Jun: Shanghai Singles qualifying in Auckland
• 25 & 26 Jun: PBA qualifiers* in Hastings & Invercargill
  • World Indoor Singles qualifying
  • World Indoor Pairs qualifying
• 2 & 3 Jul: PBA qualifiers* in Wellington
  • Ranking Singles
  • UK Open Singles qualifying
• 22 - 24 Jul: PBA qualifiers* & player meeting in Dunedin
  • World Indoor Singles qualifying
  • World Indoor Pairs qualifying
• 5 - 7 Aug: PBA qualifiers* in Dunedin
  • Anytime Fitness Ranking Singles
  • Anytime Fitness Ranking Singles
• 6 & 7 Aug: PBA qualifiers* in Auckland & Wellington (& player meeting in Wellington)
  • World Indoor Singles qualifying
  • World Indoor Pairs qualifying
• 13 & 14 Aug: PBA qualifiers* & player meetings in New Plymouth, Hastings & Invercargill
  • Ranking Singles
  • UK Open Singles qualifying
• 13 or 14 Aug: PBA qualifier finals as required in Wellington
• 20 & 21 Aug: PBA qualifier* & player meeting in Auckland
  • Ranking Singles
  • UK Open Singles qualifying
• 21 Aug: PBA qualifier finals as required in Dunedin
• 2 - 4 Sep: PBA Finals Weekend & Player meeting in Wellington
  • Shanghai Singles qualifying
  • All Finals
  • Players meeting

* Players can only play a maximum of 2 Ranking Singles, and 1 attempt at each qualifying event in a season