The weekend of the 15th and16th August, Bowls Auckland held their annual Canoe Cup & Campi competitions for the bowlers in the first 5 years of bowling experience.
These are very prestigious events with a lot of history and are regarded as the pinnacle for junior bowlers. Bowls North Harbour were invited to participate and we selected 3 men’s teams and 3 women’s from our Winter Coaching Clinic held at Orewa during July.
The Canoe is the men’s fours and was held at the Bridge Park Bowling Club with teams from Counties Manakau and North Harbour and Auckland .
Day one qualifying top 8 teams advancing to the post section for the Canoe Cup.
The Gary Cuff skipped 4 only just missing out on ends differential, finishing with 3 wins from 4.The other 2 teams also preformed very well, in fact only 3 losses out of the 12 games played.
Day 2 a new day and different conditions with a cold southerly freshening during the day and the prospect of hail in the afternoon. The guys once again showed that they were putting their skills learnt at our coaching clinic to use, and while there were some problems adapting to the conditions, all and all a very gutsy effort considering that more than half the squad were in their 1st year or less, and was their first time competing in a 2 day competition.
The Epsom Bowling Club played host to this year’s Campi—the women’s triples event—drawing 29 talented teams from across all of Auckland.
Bowls North Harbour’s two additional teams put on strong performances of their own, securing two victories out of four matches to qualify comfortably for day two.
Championship Division: Competing in the top 8 for the prestigious Campi trophy, Louise’s trio carried their momentum into Sunday with a victory in round one. Facing a star-studded lineup of Auckland champions and representative players in round two, they played with grit and determination. They battled right to the finish line in their final match, missing out by a mere three shots while maintaining brilliant team spirit throughout.
Every match provided valuable experience, and all three teams represented Bowls North Harbour with outstanding teamwork, sportsmanship, and pride across the entire weekend!
Many thanks to Bowls Auckland and to the Bridge Park Bowling Club and the Epsom Bowling Club for running a terrific tournament and to our junior 1-5 players for stepping into their first Canoe Cup & Campi competitions.
Massive thanks also to our team captains Laurie Kean and Greg Taylor. Your support throughout the buildup to the events and during the event weekend was very much appreciated. Thanks also to the Bowls North Harbour bowlers who made it along to observe and support the teams.
