Bowls Bay of Plenty Board 2020 - 2021

The AGM 2020 on Sunday August 9 was well attended. The folowing were elected:

• Ross Harvey - President
• Diane Smith - Vice President
• John Foreman (Whakatane), Liz Witton (Taupo), Graham Skellern (Tauranga), Mary Campbell (Tauranga), Marcus Merrick (Kawerau)  - Board Members.

An expression of appreciation is deserved to who have made themselves available for the Board.

Geoff's Presidents Report for 2018-2019 covered:

• Last years budget was positive. Restructuring of the reporting has provided a better indication of performance in various aspects of the Board's activity.
• The Centre programme completed on time. A special thanks to Arawa for hosting much of the champion of champion series at short notice.
• Bowls New Zealand changes include reinstating Pathways based on champion of champion competition for singles, pairs and fours and the National 7's interclub for Premier Division.
• Recognised the seasons top performances
• Recognition of sponsors.

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The Lowdown: 2020/21 Playing Programme

Covid-19 has created unprecedented disruption and we thank you for your patience as we prepare for the new season.

Please note that the Baywide Inter-Club Sevens will be played over the weekend of March 6 and 7 under the same format as previous years. This gives the winning men's and women's clubs time to organise their trip to the national final in Christchurch on April 15-18.

The Annual Meeting decided to hold off playing the Baywide Sevens under a new format until the 2021/22 season. The intention is to play the Sevens under a round-robin format over three to four days, depending on entries, so that every team plays each other head-to-head at centralised venues. In other words, a pennant-type series.

The Centre Bowls 3Five Final will be played over the weekend of March 27 and 28. This season Bowls New Zealand has changed the format with entry from one club triple (must have at least one woman or man), rather than a club team of three triples.

Clubs are asked to find their qualifier, anyway they like, to forward to the Centre Final which will be played under a Champion of Champions format. The Centre qualifying must be completed by March 31 and the first round regional match played by April 15.

There will be eight qualifiers for the National Final, rather than four last time, and anyone, players or clubs, who are already in the Televised Series are not eligible to play in the qualifying rounds.

The Champ of Champ Pairs and Fours have been brought forward a little. Please refer to the Playing Programme on this website.

Good bowling everyone. And may you keep safe and well on the green.

New Centre Manager - Ben Thurston

A passionate bowler and administrator, Ben Thurston has been appointed the Bowls Bay of Plenty centre manager, replacing Eddie Ashcroft.

Ben, who has a Bachelor in Business with an accounting major, says his new role is "a great opportunity for me to give back to a game that has given me so much enjoyment over the last 26 years.

"Good, clear communication is what this role needs and my background and enthusiasm for the sport is still the same 26 years later." Ben says he'll be visiting clubs in the region, meeting fellow bowlers at their roll-ups and chewing the fat.

A member of the Tauranga Club in the Domain, Ben is a Gold Star holder and past Bay of Plenty representative. He is a sitting board and executive member of the Tauranga Returned Services Association.

Ben will be working from home and from the newly-established office at the Tauranga club. If you want to contact Ben, email him on: bowlsbop1@gmail.com or phone him on: 027 2108338.

Ben has been appointed the Team Manager for the Men's Open representative side, and Vice-President Diane Smith is the Manager for the Women's Open team.

We welcome to the Board new members, Eastern Division representative Marcus Merrick, and Mary Campbell, who is a past New Zealand representative, national titleholder and Bay of Plenty representative. and has a Gold Star and Three Bars.