Pupils take a bow

Aotea College’s Jess Hall and Latisha Tuia are good mates in the schoolyard and a killer combination on the bowling green.

The duo put in dominant performances at the Central Region Bowls Championships in Whanganui recently, defeating teams from Upper Hutt, St Mary’s and Inglewood to book themselves a spot at the nationals later this year.

Bradley Down, also from Aotea, recently won a Wellington tournament but missed out at the regio- nals after losing two of his three matches.

Tuia and Hall have only been rolling for a year and the latter says while she is not naturally sporty, she has taken to bowls with confidence.

‘‘ I can’t run, jump, catch or throw, so I guess this is perfect for me. I’m really enjoying it, it’s fun and interesting.’’

Down says he enjoys the ‘‘relaxed nature’’ of bowls, and all three agree the strategy and finesse required makes it a captivating sport.

As part

of a

partnership between Plimmerton Bowling Club, College Sport and local schools, 15 students spent time at the club during summer, honing their skills. Only three had played the game before.

Plimmerton Bowling Club secretary Rachel Curtin says it has been good to expose young people to the sport. ‘‘The enthusiasm is definitely there. The attitudes about bowls being something for oldies is long gone.’’

The young bowlers will break for winter, before taking up their training again in September as they build towards the nationals.