The global bowls focus shines on New Zealand from this week with two international competitions to be staged in Auckland.
Southern Hemisphere bowls will be showcased this week with the second Oceania Challenge featuring the national teams from Cook Islands, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga, the Australia Performance Pathway team and two from New Zealand – an Aotearoa Māori team, and a New Zealand Under-26 team.
The event carries World Bowls Series status and will feature singles, pairs, triples and fours from Thursday until Sunday with qualifying at both Royal Oak and New Lynn clubs with all finals at Royal Oak.
The colour and spectacle of the Oceania Challenge leads on to one of the premier events in World Bowls, with 31 nations to compete for singles supremacy at the 2024 World Champion of Champions Singles.
One of the global showpieces for World Bowls will run from Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 November at the Browns Bay Bowling Club, which celebrated its 80th anniversary last year.
It will feature some of the stars of world bowls, including current World Bowls Series No 1 ranked player, Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple from Malasyia and both defending champions in Ross Owen (Wales) and Anne Nunes (USA).
The Oceania Challenge returns after its successful introduction last year, with the tournament providing invaluable international opportunities throughout Oceania to aid their prospects of competing in World Bowls events and the Commonwealth Games, with the sport one of the 10 that will comprise the 2026 Games in Glasgow.
“There continues to be a real growth in the sport among Pacific Island and Māori communities throughout our regions, said Tournament Director, Colin Williams.
“The Oceania Challenge proved a popular and successful event last year and all participating nations want to see this become an established event on our bowls calendar.
“It not only provides competition which is fundamental to the development of the sport throughout the Oceania region, it will be an important development stepping-stone looking ahead to the 2025 World Bowls Championships.”
The titles last year were shared by Aotearoa Māori, Norfolk Island and the New Zealand Under-26 combinations.
Last year’s women’s singles champion, Carmen Anderson from Norfolk Island, will instead add her experience to the pairs and fours combinations this year.
Taranaki’s Briar Atkinson, the 2023 New Zealand Emerging Player of the Year, returns to the New Zealand Under-26 team to defend the pairs title although with a new partner in Olivia Mancer, formerly from Wairarapa but now in Canterbury.
Atkinson will also compete in the singles while Mancer doubles up in the New Zealand U26 Fours combination.
Waikato’s Gaylene Kanawa returns to lead the Aotearoa Māori triples and fours combinations, after being part of the triples and fours combinations that won last year., joined by decorated Kapiti Coast bowler Lisa White who was part of the successful women’s fours team last year.
In the men’s competition, rising Whanganui-based bowler, Kaylin Huwyler returns this year after leading the Aotearoa Māori to victory in the singles and pairs last year. He links with a new teammate in Tom Taiaroa (South Canterbury) in the pairs with the promising Timaru bowler also in the fours.
He was part of the winning men’s quartet last year, linking with Taranaki’s Camron Horo this week with two new partners.
Official practice is on Wednesday at both clubs with play underway on Thursday with singles and fours qualifying for men at Royal Oak and women at New Lynn.
Friday will see pairs and triples qualifying with men at New Lynn and women at Royal Oak, followed by the finals for singles female and male from mid-afternoon.
Qualifying for pairs and triples continues Saturday with women at New Lynn and men at Royal Oak where the finals for fours, both female and man, gets underway late afternoon.
Sunday features the finals of pairs and triples from 8am at Royal Oak.
Caption: Raika Gregory (left) and Caitlin Thomson in last year’s inaugural Oceania Challenge. (BowlsNZ)
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