The Ivan Kostanich Men’s Singles delivered bowls at its finest. 6 Bowls North Harbour Clubs welcomed players from as far as Tairua, and despite the weather having its say, the greens remained alive with strong contenders showing impressive touch and consistency throughout the event.
The final day was played under very tricky conditions with winds gusting to over 50kph. The 2 set with a 3 end tie break format meant that players were not out until the very last bowls.
The semi finals saw Michael Jelly (Mairangi Bay) and Matt Wesche (Howick) finishing in equal third place.
The final came down to a tight, hard‑fought battle between Bruce Shirley (Manly) and Tony Clark (Bowls Orewa). After trading momentum across the sets, Bruce held firm in the tie‑break, securing the win 4–10, 9–5, 2–0.
Congratulations to all the players, thanks to the volunteers at the hosting clubs, thanks to the intrepid umpires and event directors.
And special congratulations to Bruce Shirley, our 2026 2027 Ivan Kostanich Men’s Open Champion.