Bowls battles for relevance
Nationals brim with talent showcasing the sport’s unique attraction
Drive-by entertainment is not a whim, it's a necessity for all sports looking to hold on to their investment or to attract new members.
Tennis' traditional hero Roger Federer joined the movement as part of the Fast4 format at the Hopman Cup in Perth this week where he played mixed doubles against Serena Williams.
The match was dusted in 46 minutes but that was part of the enthralling magic for a capacity crowd of nearly 15,000.
Bowls has used quickfire formats to dovetail with the longer forms of the game as administrators search for ways to keep the sport relevant and solvent for their wide range of participants.
We had the Bowls3 Five league televised on Sky in November with a broad range of opinion and chatter in the bowls community about the tournament's objectives and impact. At least it provoked more talk about the direction and promotion of the game than the opening few days of the nationals being held in Auckland.
When players of the calibre of multi-decorated and multiretired Gary Lawson are in town and you can get a front-row seat to watch and hear at the action it's time to take a bead on a sport which is uncomplicated to play but extremely difficult to master.
You can sit a few metres from the action and talk with your mates about what happens or debate the reasons behind all types of shots while many competitors often have a bit of a chinwag. There is no hush-hush etiquette like there is in golf as the rink is busy and noisy with all the other action going on. Sixteen clubs around Auckland are hosting the tournament with the finals to be played at the Carlton-Cornwall club.
Lawson was hunting a 14th national crown and had won the last two pairs titles with Neville Rodda then Ali Forsyth. He was forced into another team change this year and began his search for a threepeat at the Takapuna club yesterday with former national rep Jamie Hill as his lead.
Further along the rink the initial Bowls3Five champions Aiden Takarua and Alex Reed were also in action and began with a victory over the strong Harbour combination of Colin Rogan and John Walker.
The Lawson pair started strongly and was strongly placed after 11 of the 18 ends with a 12-4 lead before experienced opposition lead Steve Cox began to nail down the jack and his skip Neil Fisher joined the comeback. They picked off the points and maintained the momentum to level the match with two ends and plenty of time left.
On the pivotal 17th, Fisher claimed three shots after several Lawson drives and a final draw shot failed to cut down the damage before Lawson killed the last end once but on the replayed end could only manage a shot and Fisher had the 15-13 victory.
As the wind changed and the green altered so did the score. Both sides killed several ends but for the bulk of the contest the players looked to make plays which were more akin to chess and billiards as they switched from backhand to forehand, played with a touch of weight to deflect into the head, remove a bowl or sit on the opposition bowl.
Bowls is a game for the social or serious with plenty of upside which should connect with the mass market.
There is no hush-hush etiquette like there is in golf as the rink is busy and noisy with all the other action going on.