History of the Junior Singles

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The inaugural tournament of the National Junior Singles Champion of champions event was held in 1978 when the need to encourage the rising tide of interest in indoor bowls among school children was recognised.
It is run in a similar manner to the current Henselite Champion of Champions Singles where the winners of the district junior singles championships come together to play for a National Junior Title.
The winner receives a badge and certificate as well as holding for the year a cup donated by the President of 1977 - 1978 Mr Cliff McLachlan.
The definition of a junior player has changed since the tournament was first introduced.
1978 - under 20 years as at the 1st July of the year of the event.
1979 - under 18 years as at the 1st July of the year of the event.
1989 - under 18 years as at the 31st December of the year of the event.
1991 - under 18 years on the date the event is played.
The event was sponsored by the ANZ Bank from 1978 to 1989. In 1993 the event was sponsored by J R Carroll and Co and from 1994 - 1996 by Thomas Taylor Bowls. At the present time there is no sponsor.
One player, Wayne Eichler, Manawatu, won the title on three occasions 1979, 1981 and 1982. The two youngest players to be successful at 12 years of age are Gavin Scrivener (Northland) in 1994 and Kyle Hinton (Central Otago) in 2001.
In 1997 Auckland teenager Kristina Kenyon aged 17 from the St John Vianney Club, Roskill and Districts made Indoor Bowls history when she became the first female player to win the Junior Singles.
Kenyon had competed in the national final twice before but 1997 was her breakthrough year when she qualified for post section.
In the final she defeated Bevin Judson from Taranaki. She scored a possible four shots on the penultimate end to take the lead 12-10 and clinched the historic victory on the final end 13-10.