The inaugural New Zealand Indoor Bowls 1-5 Year Development Pairs national final will be played at the Warnes Indoor Bowls Stadium, Songer Street, Stoke, Nelson on Saturday 24th August at 12.30 pm.
The pairs include a mixture of youth and age, a father and son, cousins and also friends that will produce an intriguing and exciting national final for players that have been playing the sport for less than 5 years.
This new initiative of NZIB has produced a lot of interest and given new bowlers the opportunity to experience going to a national final and set them up for their future in the sport.
The national final will be played on a round robin basis with each game consisting of 10 ends or 45 minute time limit. Two points will be awarded for a win and one point for a draw.
The top of the South Island is represented by the local Nelson combination of Ryan Hunter and Daniel Watson who are in great form having both just won their first Nelson Centre titles by winning the champion of champion pairs.
Two eighteen year olds Georgia Fisher and Nicole Singer from Auckland will represent the top of the North Island. Georgia is still qualifies as a junior player and Nicole was in the North Island Academy team this year and Nicole was a reserve.
Cousins Nathan Trowell (14) and Matthew Foster (16) from Poverty Bay won the North Island Eastern Zone in a very strong field. Both boys have had an excellent season featuring in Open Tournaments and in the North Island Secondary School Championships. Nathan will represent Poverty Bay at the New Zealand Junior Singles final.
The South Island Southern Zone has a Southland father and son combination to represent it, John and Shawn Perry. Shawn is a junior player and his father John was introduced to Indoor Bowls by him. Shawn was playing for the Young Spirits Club - a club specifically for young players in Invercargill. John had played outdoor bowls many years ago and he quickly adapted to the more delicate touch required for Indoor Bowls. Both of them have had a good season.
The South Island Eastern Zone is represented by Shane Bell and Christine Prattley-Cook. Prattley-Cook was selected for the South Island Academy team this year.
There has been a change to the team that won the NI Western Zone with Sam Landers substituting for Stefan McCartain. He will combine with Flynn Wilson. Blair Gowan and Ray Bradley, Manawatu represent the NI South Eastern Zone and Nico Verhoeven and David Dobson, North Wellington the NI Southern Zone.
The competitors are:
North Island
Northern Zone: Georgia Fisher and Nicole Singer, Auckland
Eastern Zone: Nathan Trowell and Matthew Foster, Poverty Bay
Western Zone: Flynn Wilson, Sam Landers, North Taranaki
South Eastern Zone: Blair Gowan and Ray Bradley, Manawatu
Southern Zone: Nico Verhoeven and David Dobson, North Wellington
South Island
North Western: Ryan Hunter and Daniel Watson, Nelson
Eastern Zone: Shane Bell and Christine Prattley-Cook, Canterbury
Southern Zone: John and Shaun Perry, Southland.
