Report – $6,000 Birkenhead Carpet Mill Men’s Pairs – 31 Jan & 1 Feb 2026

Mount Albert’s Zoran Bartulovich and Neven Grgicevich emerged from a highly competitive field to win the $6,000 Carpet Mill Birkenhead Men’s Pairs at the weekend.
After two days of quality bowls they won the final against another excellent combination, Northland father-and-son, Daniel and David Hood.  For their win Bartulovich and Grgicevich, the latter the talented son of former national champion Nick, pocketed the first prize of $1600 and the Champions Cup.

The Hoods took second place and $800 prize money and could be well pleased with their performance, over the two days and in particular their 14-10 win in an absorbing semi-final over the 2023 winner of this event, Black Jack Tony Grantham and his Birkenhead club-mate Jerry Belcher.  The lead chopped and changed over nearly all of the 14 ends, with Grantham showing all of his world class but being matched at skip by an accomplished Daniel Hood.

In the other semi-final, the Hoods had a comfortable 14-7 win over Frankie Lim and Shaun Pennell, from Counties’ Pukekohe Cosmopolitan Club.
The tournament’s high standard was shown by the closeness of all the finals.

Bartulovich and Grgicevich only beat the Hoods, 13-12 in the championship final, and there was just a single shot in each of the consolation finals.

Manly’s Shaun Goldsbury and Wairarapa’s Gavin Hamin won the first 10-9 from Birkenhead’s John Hindmarch and Mark Rumble and the host club’s Mike Haggart and Zakk Johnson the flight 8-7 from Takapuna’s Brent Malcolm and Bevan Smith.

The championship’s A flight went to last year’s winners, Bart Robertson and Birkenhead’s Steve Hoeft, who beat Takapuna’s Simon Poppleton and his 21-year old Gisborne lead, Nathan Trowell, 11-8. Birkenhead’s Daymon Pierson and Jimmy Heath won the championship B flight, from Counties’ David Clark and Roger Andrew, twice winners of this event, 11-6.

Now in its 16th season, the Birkenhead Carpet Mill 6,000 pairs has grown in prestige and certainly in the northern part of the country is the foremost tournament of this type. Among the 32 teams were a host of national and centre champions, with the likes of Grantham, Jamie Hill and Matt Berry past winners of the national singles title.

The Birkenhead club is to be congratulated on its promotion and smooth organisation of this event, especially its efficient tournament director, Evan Thomas.