Tournament produces some not-so-nice surprises

OPINION: For a change, the Labour Weekend weather was good, enabling our centre to complete its first open event for the season, the Mi Life mixed pairs.

The tournament produced a number of surprises and I don't include the winners in that. The first surprise was to hear that a number of our senior players preferred to play in other centres rather than support our own event.

The loss of about six Terrace End entries due to Shane and Georgi's wedding was unfortunate. But 60 from a possible 600 was not a great response.The tournament

The second surprise was president Jim Burt's comment about the greens. All I can think of is that someone who may have had expectations went home disappointed and someone had to be blamed. Pity the president gave him his attention.

The winners were Hine Bennett-Davies and myself; the surprise was not that we won but that it was Hine's first centre title. Her play from game one on the first day right through to the finish was of the highest standard. My thanks to Hine for providing the buggy.

Question? If we were to have a mixed pairs as part of our centre champion-of-champions programme, would we not get more support and free up another weekend for clubs to use? National tournament entries are still being taken with late entries coming out in supplement form.

By Monday, the entries received were: men (singles 310), (pairs 223), (fours 93); women (singles 171), (pairs 156), (fours 78).

You still have time to make up a team. Entries will be taken up to early next month. Last week after I questioned the importance of the nationals, I received an email from Sharon Sims disputing my comments.

Sharon explained that the talent development squads were designed to identify potential New Zealand representatives and assist these players to reach their potential. The national championships still were the major event of the calendar. Not following the fortunes of women's bowls as much as I do the men's, I accept what Sharon says.

The selection of men residing in Australia in preference to home talent supports my statement. There is, in my view, an urgent need to get our top players more involved at club and centre. We need to change the title of our best players from elite to top or best. The word elite suggests something more than being better than average.To date, the playing season has been beset by shocking weather, the men's and women's midweek interclub losing two dates already.

How do you think the greenkeepers feel spending all those hours preparing greens to have them looking like lakes on playing days?

Maybe it's time we acknowledge the work of greenkeepers and volunteers that keep our gardens and surrounds so beautiful. Coming up: Friday, Pahiatua Mixed Triples; Sunday, Palmerston North Mixed Pairs; Monday, Johnston Park Women's Gala; Wednesday, Woodville Women's Open Triples.Talk about a quick start to the season. The Palmerston North club are down to the last two in the over-65 club pairs from a starting field of 16.

Great to see Ray Dunn back playing and with wife Lois due to play Eric Watson and Brian Henn in the final. Well Sharon was the first to email me; hope she isn't the last. Drop me a note at skogsbowls@xtra.co.nz