It will be no surprise to many that Kaylin Huwyler is Bowls New Zealand’s Emerging Player of the Year in 2024.
However, what may be surprising to many is that Kaylin is regarded as ‘emerging’. So comfortable at the top level of bowls does he appear to have been over the past year. So familiar have we become to seeing him in the winners’ circle. Kaylin seems like a seasoned bowler wanting, and expecting, to be at the top of his game.
Yet Kaylin’s only been playing bowls for just 5 or so years … which makes his achievements all the more extraordinary.
“I have never struck anyone like him in my thirty-odd years of bowls,” says Allan Batley, former Bowls Taranaki Selector. “His record speaks for itself … incredible!”
Allan’s not exaggerating. Kaylin has completed a stellar year … at all levels of the game.
Kaylin was the skip of the winning Triples team at the Paritutu Bowling Club this last season. And because he has dual membership of Paritutu (he lives and works in New Plymouth) and Durie Hill (where he used to live), he also had the opportunity to win the Whanganui Premier Interclub with Durie Hill.
He won the Taranaki Open Singles. He skipped the Taranaki Centre Champion of Champions Trips to a win … for a third year in a row. He also led for the team that won the Taranaki Centre Fours … again for the third year in a row. And so despite only playing half of his events in the mountain province, he was named Taranaki Male Player of the Year in 2024.
But it doesn’t stop there.
As a Whanganui Centre Representative, he’s had 2 out of 2 wins against Kapiti as well as one-and-a-half wins against his home Centre of Taranaki. In the Central North Island Octagonal, he was in the Whanganui team which were runners-up to Wellington. He was the number one ranked Singles player.
At National level, he got down to the last 32 in the Open Singles, and down to the last 8 in the Open Mixed Pairs. He was runner-up in the National Champion of Champions Singles last year. And at the National Intercentre, he was Whanganui’s singles player as the team went on to finish runners-up to Wellington.
Unsurprisingly, Kaylin’s found himself in the New Zealand High Performance Squad. He has a World Series Bowls raking of 44th. And a current ranking in New Zealand of 3rd.
He won Gold Medals in both the Oceania Singles and Triples in Auckland, when that international challenge series, endorsed by World Bowls, was held in November 2022.
“He’s a spectacular player,” says Bruce Winterburn of the Durie Hill Bowling Club in Whanganui. “I would like to think I mentored him a bit long the way, but to be honest, much of his success is his own doing. When he’s not playing in tournaments, he’s always out on the green practising.”
“He was a scratch golfer when he was younger .. before he went to varsity on Otago. He won the Junior B title at Castlecliff Golf Club in 2003 when he was only 9 years old, and the Junior A title the following year. I believe he went to the Junior World in San Diego in 2005.”
“He represented Manawatu-Whanganui as a Junior and Senior golfer from age 11, and made the New Zealand Golf Development Squad when he was 14.”
“He seems to be good at any sport he takes to!”
Not only sport. Seemingly anything he takes to. Kaylin has a successful day job as a Financial Analyst at the renewable energy company, Hiringa Energy. He has a double degree from Otago.
Taranaki Centre President, Grant Hassall, is just as glowing in his comments, “I’ve got to say that I’ve never seen anyone burst on to the bowling scene so quickly … and been able to accomplish as much as he has in such a short time. It’s remarkable.”
But the icing on the cake is what everyone says about Kaylin … the person.
“He’s a really nice person,” says Bruce. “Not only to play bowls with. Not only to be a club member with. But also to simply have as a friend.”
“He is hugely deserving of the Emerging Player of the Year.”
Congratulations Kaylin.