Bowls Dunedin Centennial History

Bowls Dunedin Centennial History By Alistair McMurran IT was Ian Dickison s intense concentration and his ability to lift his game on the big occasion that made him one of New Zealand s best international bowlers. Dickison, Gordon Jolly, Kerry Clark, Paul Girdler, Kevin Darling, Mike Kernaghan, Stewart McConnell, Terry Scott, Ken Walker and Noel Jolly were the most successful international bowlers in the first 100 years of Bowls Dunedin. IAN DICKISON (Kaikorai) won 11 Bowls Dunedin titles, but performed even better on the international stage. The highlights of Dickison s international career were to win the Australia Games singles in 1985, the Commonwealth Games singles in 1986 and a gold medal in the triples and silver in the fours at World Bowls in 1988. I had a very high strike rate in the big stuff, Dickison said. I also performed well playing for my Kaikorai club in the Holmes Feathers and the Saturday morning competition. Dickison left Dunedin in 1993 and made his living from bowls in Australia for eight years. Dickison, who was thrust into the singles role for New Zealand in 1985 and 1986, credits KERRY CLARK with helping him win the Commonwealth Games gold medal at Edinburgh. Clark won a gold medal in the fours at the 1974 Commonwealth Games and was fourth in the singles at Edmonton in 1978. Clark, the chief executive of Bowls New Zealand, was manager of the New Zealand team during Dickison s time in the international arena. Kerry brought experience as a player. He also had a sound knowledge of people. He understood what we were going through in a game, Dickison recalled. A talk that Clark had with Dickison after a 25-18 loss to Bobby King (Australia) in his first game at the Australia Games in 1985 changed his whole approach to international bowls. It was a key factor in his wins at the Australia Games and the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. I played what I thought was a good game, but I lost, Dickison said. I thought that would be the end of me as an international singles player. Clark told Dickison that he could not be the best player all the time in a 25-up game. When he was the best player he scored only singles, but when King was on top he scored twos and threes. The second shot was vital. Dickison learnt his lesson and went on to beat 1982 Commonwealth Games champion Willie Wood (Scotland) and the maestro, David Bryant (England), to win the Australia Games title. From 1985 to 1987, Dickison was ranked the second best singles player in the world behind Bryant. The highlight of his career was to beat Bryant in singles. Dickison, a dedicated player, used to visualise himself beating Bryant when he had roll ups on the green by himself. When I eventually got to play him I had already played him 300 times in my mind, Dickison said. I managed to beat him that day. Without Kerry Clark s advice I wouldn t have achieved that. He taught me to become professional about bowls and altered my approach to the game. Clark made Dickison understand there were periods in a game when he was not going to be the best bowler. I had to be defensive and wait for the other guy to have a lapse. It was the greatest single lesson I had in bowls. I won a lot of games after that, Dickison said. In one international, Dickison dropped six singles in a row but went on to win the game. It was not hard to concentrate when you kept in mind that 1

you represented 50,000 bowlers, he said. That responsibility makes you concentrate. Dickison's concentration was so intense at Edinburgh in 1986 that a team-mate had to tap him on the shoulder to tell him he had won the game. Dickison sometimes played ordinary bowls in domestic events, but had the ability to lift the standard of his game for the international arena. A feature of Dickison s singles play was his ability to snatch late wins with his skill at trailing the jack for four shots. The most noteworthy occasion he did this was against Phil Skoglund (Manawatu) during the intercentre sevens finals at the Kaituna green. If you visualise it during practice it is not too difficult a shot when the day comes to play it Dickison said. Dickison was a skilled draw player and used the shot to get out of trouble in preference to the drive. If you make your opponent think that you will draw the shot to get out of trouble they will more likely leave a driving target for you, he said. GORDON JOLLY (Leith), the long term secretary-treasurer of the New Zealand Bowling Association won a gold medal in the fours at World Bowls in 1966 and at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Jolly was noted for his foghorn-like snoring and many fellow members of Bowls Dunedin centre teams had sleepless nights when rooming with him on trips out of town. PAUL GIRDLER (Leith), one of the younger breed, played 192 tests for New Zealand between 1998 and 2004 and had an outstanding international record. He won three bronze medals at World Bowls in the fours at Johannesburg in 2000 and in the pairs and fours at Ayr, Scotland, four years later. Girdler also won a gold in the pairs and silver in the triples at the Malaysian millennium event in 2000, gold in the pairs and bronze in the fours at the Asia and Pacific championships at Moama, Australia, in 2003 and a silver medal in the fours at the Asia and Pacific championships in 2004. Girdler was an accurate left handed draw bowler and was able to use a ferocious drive when it was needed. KEVIN DARLING (Caversham), the best natural bowler to play for the centre, was an erratic genius who was capable of beating anyone in the world on his day. But he could also lose to opponents with less ability on an off-day. He won bronze medals in the pairs and fours at World Bowls at Frankston, Australia, in 1988 and a bronze medal in the fours at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990. MIKE KERNAGHAN (Kaikorai) was the tenacious and hard working player who was rewarded with a bronze medal in the singles at the 2003 Commonwealth Games at Manchester. He also won the New Zealand singles title in 2001 and 2002 and had the distinction of being one of only five bowlers to achieve back to back titles since the championships were first held in 1914. Another bowler to make Dunedin s elite list in its first century was BILL CARSWELL (Taieri), who was at his peak before bowls became one of New Zealand s elite international sports. He won three official New Zealand titles (singles in 1924 and 1934, and fours in 1922) and seven other titles when there was an unofficial national championship. 2

The legendary late ELIPHALET HALL LIFE RAVENWOOD (Northeast Valley) won his first centre title in the Easter pairs of 1945 and his seventeenth in the open fours in 1967. This mark stood as the record for Bowls Dunedin for the next 12 years until it was beaten by Gordon Jolly (Leith) in 1979. Jolly also lost 12 finals. Ravenwood, who finished eighth in the pairs at the 1954 Empire Games in Vancouver, dominated bowls in the Dunedin centre for 25 years until Jolly took over in the late 1960s. The McCONNELL brothers, DUNCAN and STEWART (Kaikorai), brought a new competitive element into Dunedin bowls in the 1970s and dominated the scene for a decade. Stewart McConnell, who won a bronze medal in the fours at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, has won 21 centre titles and Duncan 18. Over the past 20 years, Dunedin bowls has been dominated by TERRY SCOTT (Northeast Valley) and KEN WALKER (Fairfield). Scott has won 31 centre titles and Walker 30. They have both played for New Zealand with Scott winning a silver medal in the triples and bronze in the fours at the Asia and Pacific championships at Tweed Heads, Australia, in 1985. He has also won a national singles and fours title. Terry Scott has been part of Dunedin bowls for the last 33 years and holds a record 31 centre titles. He has played a key role in Dunedin s record 12 wins in the 36-year history of the national inter-centre competition. Walker won a silver medal in the fours at the Asia and Pacific championships in 1987 and represented New Zealand at World Bowls in 1992. He has also won a national singles and fours title. Walker has also been the dominant player in indoor bowls since the Westpac Stadium was opened and has won five trips to the United Kingdom to play in six Professional Bowls Association world championship finals. JIM SCOTT (North East Valley) who has won 17 Bowls Dunedin titles won a silver medal in the fours at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, a silver medal in the fours and bronze in the triples at World Bowls in 1984. But he was not affiliated to the centre at that time NOEL JOLLY (St Clair) won a bronze medal in the fours at the Empire Games at Auckland in 1950. BILL COUSINS (Taieri), who has won 14 Bowls Dunedin titles and was noted as an astute fours skip, played in the Newcastle pairs for New Zealand in 1979. MARK WATT (North East Valley), one of the younger brigade, won a gold medal in the Hong Kong singles in the centre s centennial year in 2007. The leading woman in the first 100 years of Dunedin bowls was ALTHA TRIGGS (Caversham) who won two national titles the singles in 1975 and the pairs three years later in 1978. 3

LENORE WEBBER (Fairfield) won the pairs in 1990 and the champion of champion s singles in 1998 and also represented the New Zealand Emerging Players team against the British Isles in 1990 and against Australia in 1992 and the over-60s team against Australia in 1999. JANET SWALLOW (Taieri), who won the national fours title in 1998, played for the New Zealand development team against Australia, the Invitation team against Ireland and the New Zealand Academy team against Scotland in 2001. The leading women players on the local scene have been Andersons Bay s GAYNOR REID (24), DOREEN BELL (21) and St Clair s DAWN RICHARDS (16), who have won the most centre titles. In addition Reid has also won the New Zealand Super Bowls singles title in 1995, represented the New Zealand Emerging Players team against Australia in 1995 and played in the women s world indoor singles at Guernsey in 1996. NGAIRA McCUNN (Taieri), the grimly determined mistress of the draw, won the New Zealand champion of champion s singles title in 1978 and backed it up with nine Bowls Dunedin titles. Theses included eight in the champion of champion s singles. One of the highlights of her career was to remain unbeaten when she won the prestigious Broadland Invitation singles. DAPHNE HYNES (St Clair), who achieved a Bowls Dunedin bar to her gold star last season, won the New Zealand championship fours in 2003. MARGARET MALCOLM (Port Chalmers) won 11 Bowls Dunedin titles and backed this achievement with her appointed as president of Bowls New Zealand in 2002. Among the early stars of Dunedin women s bowls were ANNIE WHALE (Mornington) who won 10 centre titles in a 28 year career from 1933 to 1961, ANNIE GREGORY won 12 titles between 1931 and 1948, MARGARET ABBOTT (Mornington) won her first in 1932 and her eleventh in 1956 and EMILY ADESS (St Kilda) eight titles. PETER KEAN, the chief executive of Lion Nathan, played for the North East Valley club and won 11 centre titles when he lived in Dunedin for 10 years. Kean recalled playing against Eddie Reynolds (Leith), one of the characters of Dunedin bowls at the time. When he came on to the green he had a race book in his pocket, a transistor radio with an earpiece in one hand, and a glass of beer in the other hand, Kean said. He was known as the talking horse. In his speech to the centenary dinner Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin highlighted the impact that bowls had on the Dunedin community. Bowlers he had known included Ralph McDonald (Taieri), a long term mayor of Mosgiel, Lawson Smeaton (Fairfield), who was his butcher, and Rex King (Andersons Bay), who owned the firm Chin worked for as a young law clerk. I mention these people to show the significant part that bowls has played in the Dunedin community, Chin said. 4

BOWLS HISTORY RANKING LIST The ranking list for the first 100 years of the Bowls Dunedin Centre. MEN: 1 Ian Dickison 2 Gordon Jolly 3 Paul Girdler 4 Kerry Clark 5 Kevin Darling 6 Mike Kernaghan 7 Bill Carswell 8 E H Life Ravenwood 9 Stewart McConnell 10 Terry Scott 11 Ken Walker 12 Noel Jolly 13 Jim Scott 14 Bill Cousins 15 Robbie Thomson 16 Duncan McConnell 17 Shaun Scott 18 Mark Cowan 19 Mark Watt 20 Ernie Wilson 1 Altha Triggs WOMEN: 2 Lenore Webber 3 Gaynor Reid 4 Janet Swallow 5 Doreen Bell 6 Dawn Rowley 7 Ngaira McCunn 8 Daphne Hynes 9 Carolyn Crawford 10 Margaret Malcolm CURRENT EXEC + CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE BOWLS DUNEDIN CENTENNIAL PRIZE-GIVING Friday 19 th MAY, 2008 at the Taieri Bowling Club Pavilion PROGRAMME OF EVENTS Master of Ceremonies Bob Crawford 1. Welcome President - Isobel Bell Life Members and Patron Margaret Malcolm and Stan Seear Guest Speaker Bruce Malcolm MBE JP Bowls Dunedin sponsors - Dorchester Finance (S.I.) Ltd., Dunedin Holiday Park, Guy Robinson Hairdresser, Henrietta Soap Thank you - To President Dave Archer and the Taieri Bowling Club. 2. President s Speech Isobel Bell 5

3. Guest Speaker Bruce Malcolm, MBE, JP. Mr Malcolm is a member of the Port Chalmers Bowling Club. He has won 12 Dunedin Centre Titles, is a past Bowls Dunedin representative player and selector. He is also a currently one of the Bowls New Zealand men s selectors who chose the very successful 2008 World Bowls team that won an unprecedented 2 Gold and 1 Bronze medals, plus the ultimate World Bowls prize - the important Leonard Trophy first time. Gemma Lawson, daughter of the gold-winning fours skip Gary, referred to Mr Malcolm as the Medal Man. The Leonard Trophy Bowls Dunedin Achievement s 2007/2008 International Mark Watt (North East Valley) - winning the Hong Kong Classic Singles in Hong Kong in December 2007. National Nick Buttar (North East Valley) - As lead for the winning Four at the 2008 National Championships in Christchurch Terry Scott, Shaun Scott, Jim Scott and Stephen O Driscoll (North East Valley) - as the runners up in the same National Championship event at Christchurch. Shaun Scott (North East Valley) - third equal in the singles at the National Championship at Christchurch. Shaun Scott (North East Valley) - winning the New Zealand Community Trust National Club Singles Championship in Rotorua. Shaun was unbeaten at Regional and National Finals. Bruce Malcolm - NZ Selector Michael Ayers International Umpire appointed to officiate at the World Bowls Championships in Christchurch 2008. Regional Six Achievements The Senior and Development men s teams won their respective Zone six tournament against South Canterbury, North Otago, Central Otago, South Otago and Southland. Both teams went on to represent Zone 6 at the National finals in Palmerston North, where the Development team finished a meritorious third. Daphne Hynes - (St Clair) won the Zone Six New Zealand Community Trust Women s Singles in Dunedin. Shaun Scott - (North East Valley) won the Zone Six New Zealand Community Trust Men s Singles in Dunedin. 6

North East Valley Men - won Zone Six Division One of the National Interclub 7 s at Balclutha and went on to Finish third at the National Finals in Palmerston North. Port Chalmers Men won Zone Six Division Two of the National Interclub 7 s at Balclutha. The Port Chalmers/North East Valley - combined Women s team won Zone Six Division Two of the National Interclub 7 s in Invercargill. 5. Bowls Dunedin Events Trophies & Certificates presented by the President of Bowls Dunedin, Isobel Bell Lion Foundation National Interclub Sevens Women: Men: Division One Andersons Bay Division Two North East Valley/Port Chalmers Division One North East Valley Division Two Port Chalmers Women s Interclub Tuesday Interclub 1 st Violet Jane Trophy - Macandrew Bay 2 nd Heather Knox Trophy - St Clair 3 rd Taieri Trophy - Outram Friday Interclub Stuart Trophy - Outram Saturday Interclub Hislop Cup - North East Valley Men s Interclub Saturday Morning Seven s Section 1 Fairfield Section 2 St Clair Section 3 Taieri Section 4 Macandrew Bay Section 5 Outram Section 6 Outram Saturday Morning Development Sevens - Taieri Blue Saturday Afternoon Interclub Fours Premier Division 1 (Holmes Feathers) - Forbury Park Premier Division 2 (Bridgman Plate) - Andersons Bay Premier Division 3 (Speight s) - Green Island Interclub 4 x 4 s - Balmacewen Interclub 3 x 4 s - MMacandrew Bay Interclub 2 x 4 s - Opoho Wednesday Interclub (Mulford Holdings) - Outram 7

Payton Memorial - Outram May Valentine Trophy - Most improved senior women player Jan Barclay (Taieri) Friendship Bowl - Women s Junior Fours - Anne Cottrell, Joan Sommerville, Heather Forss, Margaret Wilson (St Clair). Kaituna Plate - Men s Junior Fours - Daniel French, Shane Taggart, Dan McGregor, Cory Wilson (Forbury Park) Ballard Brooch - Fay Cosgrove, Lyn Rance, Nancy McGregor, Margaret Hoad (Green Island) 6. NZ Community Trust Bowl Dunedin Centre Events Women s Singles - Daphne Hynes (St Clair) Men s Singles - Shaun Scott (North East Valley) Women s Pairs - Janet Swallow & Beth Brown (Taieri) Men s Pairs - Ken Walker & Andy McLean (Fairfield) Mixed Pairs (2x4x2) - Jan Barclay (Taieri) and Len Marr (Logan Park Business Women s) Women s Triples - Carolyn Crawford, Trish Marr, Daphne Hynes (St Clair) Men s Triples Nigel Wright, Quinn Matheson, Lou Robinson (Leith) Women s Fours - Janet Swallow, Lorraine Turnbull, Lois Miller, Jenny Dyhrberg (Taieri) Men s Fours Allan Black, Mark Watt, Neil Williams, Doug Thomas (North East Valley) 7. Bowls Dunedin Champion of Champion Events Women s Singles - Beth Brown (Taieri) Men s Singles Dennis Leeden (Wakari) Junior Women s Singles - Raelene Walshaw (Green Island) Junior Men s Singles - Andrew Callender (Kaikorai) Veteran Men s Singles - Mike Fitzgerald (Caledonian) Women s Pairs - Margaret Malcolm & Judy Tomkies (Port Chalmers) Men s Pairs - Ken Walker & Andy McLean (Fairfield) Women s Triples Carolyn Crawford, Daphne Hynes, Rose Henderson (St Clair) Men s Triples - Blair Barringer, Mark Cowan, Robbie Thomson (Fairfield) Women s Fours - Sue Hodges, Marion Hambleton, Anne Warrington-Blair, Mary Stevenson (Outram) Men s Fours - Blair Barringer, Mark Cowan, Andrew McCallum, Robbie Thomson (Fairfield) 8

8. Bowls Dunedin Gold Star and Bar Winners KEN WALKER (Fairfield) (Third Bar to Gold Star 30 Titles) 1982 Champion of Champions Singles 1991 Open Singles 1997 President's Fours 1983 Champion of Champions Pairs 1992 Champion of Champions Triples 1998 Open Pairs 1984 Open Fours 1993 Easter Pairs Open Fours 1986 Champion of Champions Pairs President's Fours 1999 Champion of Champions Pairs 1987 Champion of Champions Singles 1994 Champion of Champions Pairs 2000 Champion of Champions Pairs Easter Fours 1995 Champion of Champions Singles Champion of Champions Fours 1988 Champion of Champions Singles Open Pairs 2002 Champion of Champions Pairs 1989 Champion of Champions Singles 1996 Champion of Champions Pairs 2004 Open Pairs 1990 Champion of Champions Singles Open Singles 2007 Open Pairs Open Singles 1997 Open Singles 2008 Champion of Champions Pairs Carolyn Crawford (St Clair) Daphne Hynes (St Clair) Robbie Thomson (Fairfield) (Bar to Gold Star -10 Titles) (Bar to Gold Star -10 Titles) (Bar to Gold Star -10 Titles) 1990 Open Singles 2000 Champion of Champions Triples 1992 President's Fours Open Triples Open Pairs 1994 Easter Pairs Open Fours Open Fours 1996 President's Fours Champion of Champions Fours 2001 Open Fours 1998 Champion of Champions Triples 1991 Open Fours 2002 Open Fours 1999 Champion of Champions Fours Open Triples 2004 Champion of Champions Triples Open Fours 2004 Champion of Champions Triples 2005 Open Fours 2000 Champion of Champions Pairs 2005 Open Fours 2007 Open Triples 2007 Open Fours Champion of Champions Pairs 2008 Open Singles 2008 Champion of Champions Triples 2007 Open Triples Champion of Champions Triples Champion of Champions Fours Blair Barringer (Fairfield) Andrew McCallum (Fairfield (Gold Star - 5 Titles) (Gold Star - 5 Titles) 2000 Champion of Champions Triples 1997 Champion of Champions Triples 2002 Open Pairs 1999 Easter Pairs 2005 Open Pairs 2004 Champion of Champions Fours 2007 Open Pairs 2007 Open Fours 2008 Champion of Champions Fours 2008 Champion of Champions Fours 9. Bowler of the Year 2007/2008 (Presented by Stan Seear) The Millie Khan Memorial - Women s Bowler of the Year 2007-2008 Daphne Hynes (St Clair) 28 points - Open Singles 6, Open Triples 6, Champion of Champions Triples 6, open Fours 4, Champion of Champions Pairs 2, Champion of Champions Singles 2, Open Pairs 2. The Stan Seear Trophy - Men s Bowler of the Year 2007-2008 Robbie Thomson (Fairfield) 14 points - Champion of Champions Triples 6, Champion of Champions Fours6, and Open Fours 2. 9