CSB - Kevin Hickland - World Bowls Champion of Champions

Promising New Zealand bowler Aiden Takarua made a winning start on the opening day of the 2024 World Bowls Champion of Champions at Browns Bay, North Harbour today.

The 25-year-old, formerly from Auckland but now based in Southland, won both of his games after a morning bye on the first day of competition at the Browns Bay Bowling Club.

There are 29 men and 24 women from 30 countries competing over nine rounds of section play ahead of knockout rounds of quarterfinals, semifinals and finals from Tuesday to Saturday.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
From the rugby field to the rotary shed. It's the
Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on Gold Sport ten
past seven. Well, as I mentioned, twenty nine men twenty
four women from thirty countries competing over nine rounds of
section play ahead of the knockout rounds at the World
Bowls Champion of Champions Tournament of Browns Bay, North Harbor.

(00:22):
Yesterday at all got underway. Kevin Hickland joins us. Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Kevin, Yeah, good morning Brian, and day one just talking
to Mark about it with a full day of fine
weather and at the same today and so long may
it continue. But the day one been a mixed day
for New Zealand. To be fair, Young Aiden Takela, the
former Points Chevalier player now playing out of playing out

(00:46):
of Southland, won his two matches yesterday, so he started
off well. But not so for Leanne Paulson, the New
Zealand representative, as we said, unusually hit two tough matches
for her opening games and she lost both of her
games yesterday, so you know, a big you know, really
big for her. Now she have to the winning wagon

(01:08):
of the nick few rounds to make sure that she
can make your way through to the the finals. But yeah,
I suppose some of the interesting things are to day
one really though Brian is some of the and the
women some of the unbeaten sides are quite surprising. Well,
smaller countries like Nue Switzerland, that Tonga and the women's

(01:31):
representatives as they were all unbeaten after they yesterday. Interested
in the two Indian men and women's players went through
and beating yesterday, and believe me, India is certainly one
of the rising nations in bowls around the world. Also,
both the Cook Island represented US also went through and
beat in yesterday, the defending women's World champion of champion

(01:54):
player from the previous year in Australia in noon to
the USA shoeing through and in the men the number
one seed I would imagine as Lee Srainer, the Australian player,
magnificent player when the best players going around, an Englishman
who moved to Australia many many years ago but now
definitely one of the best players in Australia. And Lee

(02:15):
Strainer went through unbeaten yesterday and he's in the same
section as Aidan Takara and they'll meet later on. I
think it's around five they meet, so that'll be a
big mets in that particular section. But you know, all
in all, you know, a great day yesterday on day one.
I suppose one other big surprise is in the woman's

(02:36):
Abdullah from Malaysia, who's a rinked number three player in
the world. She lost one of her metches yesterday. So
it's you know, the doors open for anybody here. Really,
Brian is going to see, you know, these smaller countries here,
they are lining up and they are an Ambhibia, they're
unbeaten as well as in the men's another of the

(02:57):
smaller countries. So you know, all in all, day one sure,
but you know, the smaller countries they've certainly put their
hands up on Day one of this World CHAMPIONSI Champion singles.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
What I'm finding from your report here, Kevin, is the
fact that it blows me away how truly global Bowls
is becoming. Now. You mentioned Switzerland being involved, India, Japan,
the United States. It's pretty huge. It's growing, isn't it.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
It certainly is. You know, I suppose if we'd take
it worldwide. I think last year in Australia there was
thirty two countries. Now, the reason why there were thirty
two countries last year in Australia because it followed directly
but we hit the World Championship where the World Champions
on the Gold Coast, and then as soon as the
event finished, we rolled into the World CHAMPIONI Champion events

(03:47):
at Rabina, so it meant a lot of the countries
their players were already there. So you know it's thirty
two And because the World Championships are limited to a
number of thirty two countries and there was twenty two
countries they're participating. Well, when you've got thirty two countries
participating at a world event, that that is a global sport,

(04:08):
isn't it.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Oh? Absolutely, So you're playing on grass greens, are you
not on synthetics?

Speaker 2 (04:13):
It's all on the on the grass at Brown's Bays.
So it's just saying before the good thing now that
the hearing islinder specially end in Australia that if we
do get adverse, whether there's now plenty of covered greens around,
they've got them over north Shore so if rain does
come along throughout the week, they can easily transportable up
to say are where they would move to and they

(04:35):
can move on to the covered complex at a River
and Boss and be completed and and most of the
in Auckland now we've got about four or five covered
covered venues. Tower On, got the scott One South Island
and getting them Hawks Bay, I've got them Taranaki, you've
got one Wellington. So you know we're getting there where.

(04:58):
I think why we're seeing them improvement as well of
numbers and of the standard as well, bright is because
of having them all weather facilities. It means that it
can be played all it's in all the year round
sport now and.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Also age wise. I mean always used to be your
associate balls of people that have retired and they've just
gone out to play balls, but nowadays a lot of
younger people are playing well.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
Aiden Takara at the New Zealand representative in this event.
He's twenty four. Briah Atkinson who last week won the
Oceania Challenge. She won the women's singles and was served
in the Hong Kong Peers just prior to that. She's
at the twenty two to twenty three Around that same
age group, Taylor Brewster World Champion, Selena Goddard, all very young,

(05:45):
all young players and then we've been the men. We've
got the likes of Finn Bary mcgwigg and Seamus Curtain,
all young fellows under thirty who are now making their
way through in the at an international level. So to
say that, you know, it's an old person sport like yes,
it was when I first started playing, no doubt about that,

(06:07):
but that's certainly not the case now. And I think,
especially especially in the Auckland and Wellington region, that we're
seeing a fantastic influx of PACIFICA players as well under
the clubs, and they are certainly making their presence felt
in all aspects of the game. So you know, they
may not have the best facilities in some of the

(06:29):
countries like Tongua and Cooks and some are, but of
course Sonim are based here and so that the facility
of coming den of the game is getting bigger and
stronger as well.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Amazing stuff. Hey, Kevin, appreciate your coverage and good luck
for day two today mate.

Speaker 2 (06:46):
All the best, Brian, thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
It's Kevin Heckland looking at the Champion of Champions, the
World Bowls Champion of Champions out of Brown's buy, isn't
it wonderful hearing