April 2026 Newsletter
Hi Everyone
Our local bowling events are nearly all completed. Congratulations all those clubs who entered teams in the Champion of Champion matches prior to Easter., we had excellent representation from our clubs. A parade of the finalists can be found here.
Best wishes to all those successful tournament winners who will be competing in the New Zealand tournaments going forward. Also to those tripping off to Australia to compete in the Australian open and other winter events.
Best wishes to Pauline Seaton who is tripping off to Victoria: Australia to umpire at the World Bowls Indoor Championships to be held 12-16 May. NZ representative Blackjacks are Shannon McIlroy and Tayla Bruce. The prestigious six-day international event will bring together elite indoor bowlers from over 32 nations. The event will showcast the newly redeveloped Ocean Grove Bowling Club — one of the most advanced undercover bowling facilities in the world.
Presentation Night
Date: 8 May 2026
Venue: Alexandra District Club
Time: Drinks from 5.30pm, Dinner approx 6.30pm
Cost: $40.00/head
Please RSVP to Pauline - centralotagobowls@gmail.com by 27 April. We need to know the names of all people attending.
Payment to: CO BOWLS 02 0916 0133831 00 by 4 May. Names of attendees in the reference if possible.
Clubs Page
This has now been completed. Any clubs wishing to get their blurb changed should email here updated photos and blurb. Click here to read clubs page.
Clyde Hard at Work
Greenkeeper "Russell Laing" called for helpers to core Earnscleugh Green for a couple of days at the end of March. There is a lot of work involved in the maintenance of the greens, ensuring they're in tip top condition for next season. Thanks for sharing Clyde.
Great Initiative from Small Club
An important development concerning the Patearoa Bowling Club. The Patearoa hall is slated for demolition, which has prompted the Patearoa club members to consider transitioning the bowling club into a multi-function centre. This initiative aims to accommodate a variety of community and sporting events, thereby enhancing our local engagement.
To facilitate these additional functions, it is envisioned that an extension to the bowling club building will be necessary. This expansion will not only allow for more attendees but will also incorporate space for two indoor bowls mats and a designated area for darts tournaments. While the primary use of the bowling club will remain focused on lawn bowls, these enhancements will significantly enrich the offerings available to our
community.
The club is situated some 20km from Ranfurly, on the furthest edge of our bowling area, the south edge of the Maniototo basin. It is part of the sports domain which also features a flat, green, parklike golf course. The club currently has 12 members, 9 men and 3 women.
Wanaka Social Get-a-Way
"Kathryn Mitchell" organised a few days social get-a-way to the Maniototo end of March. Curling and bowling at Naseby.
Queenstown Bowling Club
Spotted this photo on a random Facebook post taken 2nd April 2026.
Delivery
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Match backswing size to required weight
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Keep the same tempo. Your rhythm is your “metronome” for consistent weight.
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Smooth acceleration forward. No jerky movements or last-second lunges. Release close to the body with no bounce.
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A bouncing bowl can lose up to a metre of travel and destroy weight control.
Its all about Practice
Repetition is critical for learning to occur. You must play the same shot over and over again. Since this is not what happens when you are actually playing a game, then playing a lot of bowls games is a poor substitute for practice.
How much do you need to practice? Sports scientists now have as a general rule, that you need to repeat an action 10,000 times before your performance peaks. Ian Schuback, in his 2015 book, says when training for world championships (of which he won 4) he practiced every morning and afternoon six days a week - a total of 21 hours a week. He suggests that if you want to improve your game, a minimum of 3-4 hours a week practice is required.
Furthermore the article suggests only 30 minutes of practice at a time.
Great TV Watch
Bowls NZ commentator had particular praise for Gore's Sheldon Baigre Howley's delivery in February at the Fours NZ Nationals. You Tube watch here
