Late starter but Budd amaestro
The achievements ofManawatū’s most decorated bowler Bev Budd, who has died aged 92, will take some beating.
Budd, who died last week, was a late starter in the sport, but kept playing, and winning, into her 90s.
She had 41 Manawatū centre titles, two clear of the legendary Joyce Osborne.
The next best is New Zealand great Sharon Sims, who is still playing and has 29.
Sims spent years playing with Budd and they both started at the same time at the now defunct Manawatū Bowling Club in the 1986-87 season.
Sims said you wouldn’t want to wear Budd’s blazer because of the weight of all her centre titles and gold stars, which are awarded for every five titles.
‘‘The remarkable thing about Bev too was she started quite late,’’ Sims said.
‘‘She was 65 when she started.’’ And when she started her skills were noticeable.
‘‘She had real talent right from the start,’’ Sims said.
‘‘She and I were lucky enough to work with Joyce Osborne, who was a local legend at the time, an ex international.
‘‘She took Bev and I under her wing in our second year. I guess that’s where I learnt to play and Bev was the same.’’
Budd and Sims won the national pairs title together in Dunedin in 1993 and were third equal in the fours the same year.
They were named Manawatū sports team of the year after that win.
The year before they had gone to their first nationals and were runnerup in the pairs.
Sims said Budd was a tough competitor, even in her later years, and her formnever dipped.
‘‘She was one to be reckoned with every time she stepped on the green.’’
Budd, who later joined Terrace End Bowling Club, was a long-time rep player, playing for about 20 years from the 1995-96 season.
Her greatest success came in the centre fours, which she won seven times, while she won the champion of champion fours and triples nine times each.