North v South now serious encounter

COMMONWEALTH Games representatives, national champions and rising stars will head to Dunedin this weekend for an epic encounter between the North and South Islands.

In the past, the North versus South contest has been used mostly to wrap up intercentre competitions, but it will now be a serious season opener and alternated annually between the islands.

“It’s planned to be a pinnacle event on the domestic calendar,” Bowls New Zealand chief executive Mark Cameron told the Otago Daily Times.

Indoor stadiums will be used to take the fickle spring weather out of the equation and add to the television and streaming experience, Cameron said.

“It will mean we can guarantee the TV, guarantee the games, and that’s a positive.”

A who’s who of New Zealand bowls will be in Dunedin for the weekend, which starts with a function on Friday night that will include life membership and hall of fame awards.

Bowls New Zealand will then hold its annual meeting before play starts with singles at noon at the Bowls Dunedin Stadium on Saturday, and finishes with the mixed fours on Sunday afternoon.

The games will be played in sets, not dissimilar to PBA competition, except only eight ends in each of the two sets.

Should the game finish at one set each, there will only be one tiebreak, offering the tantalising prospect of golden point.

“They are fast games,” Cameron said.

All formats of the game are played with each win scored accordingly — singles one point, pairs two, triples three and fours four.

All team events are mixed, so fours teams will be made up of two men and two women, men will compete against women, youngsters will play seasoned bowlers, and each island will have a para bowler.

“We want to embrace and promote the diversity that exists in our game,” Cameron said.

National fringe players such as Dunedin’s Jonty Horwell (23) and Wellington’s Seamus Curtin (23), as well as Commonwealth Games para representatives Mark Noble and Pam Walker, will be part of the event.

The hope is the format will create further opportunities for players.

“It’s not necessarily the top eight from each island,’’ Cameron said.

‘‘I like to think it’s the top in each section of the sport available with a view to embracing and creating opportunity for those selected to progress.

‘‘Put them on the green and I’m sure they’ll be competitive.”

Like all sports, bowls in New Zealand has had limited opportunities on the domestic scene in recent times due to Covid.

“It’s nice to get back going again,” Cameron said.

“The North and South will be a great start to the ’22’23 season.’’

❛ It’s planned to be a pinnacle event on the domestic calendar

Mark Cameron