Auckland’s lawn bowls came alive over the weekend (4-5 May) with a second attempt at the Bowls Auckland Men’s Singles and Women’s Triples Championships. Played under ideal conditions. the events held across eight host clubs were notable for their intense competition, and a clever format tweak allowed all play to wrap up neatly in one action-packed weekend!

The Men’s Singles kicked off with a whopping 112 players vying for the top spot. Competition was fierce, narrowing the field down to 16 after four intense rounds of play. A highlight was the nail-biting shoot-outs in two of the 28 sections, with Stephen Campbell (Pt Chevalier) and Logan Clark (Royal Oak) securing their spots in dramatic single-end deciders.

Sunday morning saw the finalists, including four underdogs 1-5 Year players, take to the greens in eager spirits. In an exciting turn of events, clubmates were spared confrontations in the round of 16 after the live draw. The spotlight was on a tense match between Nick Thompson from Mt Albert and Bevan Beckham of Auckland BC. With Beckham leading 20-17 and only moments left, Thompson narrowed the gap, eventually forcing a tiebreaker. Beckham clinched with superb skill, advancing with two stunning shots.

The semifinals were a spectacle. Galloway faced Campbell in a rematch of the Champ of Champs Singles last weekend, where Galloway once more triumphed with superior play. The other Men’s semifinal, Neven Grgicevich looked set to win easily until Taiki Paniani (Bridge Park) made a valiant comeback though it wasn’t enough to stop Grgicevich from reaching the finals.

As the Men battled, the Women’s Triples quarterfinals also heated up. While the Men’s matches all finished as one-sided affairs, the Women’s matches were hotly contested.

It was a dominant performance by Carlton Cornwall’s Jeanine Browne, Helen Blick and Estelle Hickey, who set the stage for an epic final clash.

Helen Van der Walt (Carlton Cornwall) and Robyn Reihana (Te Atatu) skipped sides that kept fans on the edge of their seats, with a close match that concluded with a narrow victory for Van der Walt’s team.

The Finals were nothing short of spectacular. Galloway demonstrated why he’s a top player by dominating Grgicevich 21-8 to claim his 21st title.

The Women’s Final was an all-Carlton Cornwall affair! Hickey’s team staged a dramatic comeback, scoring a decisive five points near the end and eventually clinching the title with a 17-15 win against Van der Walt’s side.

The championships concluded with praises for the winners and gratitude expressed to the host clubs, umpires, and volunteers who made the events a resounding success.

Congratulations to the winners for their successes, and a special mention to Estelle Hickey for earning her fifth title and Bowls Auckland Gold Star.