Lawson 1, Bowls NZ dead end

OPINION: The Gary Lawson situation has become a blight on the good game of bowls, writes Nathan Burdon in this week's Straight Up.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the incident, which Bowls New Zealand alleges saw the Lawson-skipped New Zealand fours deliberately lose an end to give themselves an easier path to the tournament title at the Asia Pacific championships last August, the governing body has come out worse off.

Lawson and his team-mates – Jamie Hill, Shannon McIlroy and Shayne Sincock (who was on debut) – may now miss out on this year's Commonwealth Games, although penalties are yet to be handed down.

But Bowls NZ has already lost this end where it matters most, on the green of public opinion.

Most would side with Lawson, the world champion with 10 national titles to his name, and he has some strong supporters in the media to help push his barrow.

He appears to be one of those athletes all sports have who are consistently at odds with their administration.

The irony of the situation is that those sorts of athletes are often so important to the game.

Think Andre Agassi in tennis, John Daly in golf or Ali Williams in rugby.

They offer colour against a background that is all too often bland.

Lawson has a winning attitude. He's one of the best bowlers this country has produced. Bowls NZ has already dug a very big hole for itself over this one and it will need to be very clever not to make it any deeper.

• The Highlanders already had everything going against them this season.

An unfavoured lineup, a franchise under financial pressure and a killer draw.

Now they've been shafted by two of their fellow New Zealand teams, who have opted to go to Australia for their preseason campaign rather than their traditional fixtures against the Highlanders.

That's left the Highlanders having to go to Fiji, of all places, to find a game.

Very little good will come of this game. It's extra travel, extra expense and extra effort against a team that will likely be little better than a good Southland club team. Glenn Moore will be breathing a huge sense of relief if the Highlanders, who cannot afford injuries to any frontline players, get back on the plane with nothing worse than a sunburn.

» Nathan Burdon has been the Southland Times sports editor since 2003 and has won numerous journalism awards, including provincial sports writer of the year.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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