Val Smith: Bowler previews the Bowls3Five Interclub Finals

The Bowls3Five Interclub Finals tournament is taking place this weekend at the Royal Oak Bowling Club. 

This event features a shortened version of the traditional game, designed to boost participation and increase fan engagement. 

Legendary bowler Val Smith joined D'Arcy Waldegrave to preview the tournament. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Wildgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Early in the morning. It's time to stop drop and rolling.
Then even I'm not a Decepticon. I'm sorry. It is
eight twenty seven. Let's talk Alarm Bowls now kind of
lawn like a carpet and National Bowls three five finals
on and Well Smith joins us the much decorated Valsmith Morning, Val.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Good morning. How are you.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm good and you're still playing. Look, I know if
you're a tie, it was only internationally. You can't walk
away from the game at lawn bowls, can you? No?

Speaker 3 (00:40):
I can't. I mean I think even when I acknowledge
the fact that I had retired internationally, I mean, deep
down you know, I wish it would never end. But
you know, there comes a time when you do have
to step away from the biggest stuff for other things.
But it doesn't mean that it's taken me away from

(01:02):
the game. No.

Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, I mean you've got a couple of world championship
titles under your having, you a whole bunch of medals.
I think you played what six hundred and fifty odd
plus international matches twenty years in the game, and it's
not like you've left the game leaving things undone.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
No, No, And I don't feel as if I'm leaving
the game without wanting to achieve again in the future
in the sport. It may not be at the international level,
but I'm still going to be playing at national level
and representing Nelson as long as I get selected, and
still trying to achieve to the highest levels that I

(01:38):
can play.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
So how's your form right now? Because we've got this
this weekend, the Bowls three five going on. Are you
feeling in good forming? You must be because you're qualified
right to the finals, so you must be feeling like
you're in good form. You and your teammates.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
Well, we were fortunate enough to have won the three
fives last year, so we got an automatic qualification back
for this event, so we didn't have to go through
a qualification process. So over this the current season. So,
but we have been playing a lot back home with
our sort of well the tercense is not long for Nurshed,
you know, it's on the back of a very busy season,

(02:17):
so we've been playing a lot. You know, I'd like
to say that we're actually in reasonably good form. But
we I know what the game of lawn bowls can
be like it it can all fall.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Apart, Taskmaster. It's called the National Ins Club Bowls three
five finals. Explain to us exactly what Bowls three five is.
You're talking to me, so talk to me like I'm
a five year old.

Speaker 3 (02:44):
Okay. So the three, the three in the title indicates
that it's triples, so there's three players in the team.
The five indicates that it's five ends. But it's two
sets of five n's. So it's a quick fire, it's silly,
rapid fire game of bowls. It takes around about an

(03:04):
hour and a half only game of triples, two sets
of five ends, and and if you've won one seat each,
you play a one end tiebreak that would then indicate
who wins the game.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
So it's Bowls T twenty, isn't it?

Speaker 3 (03:19):
It is Bowls T twenty exactly.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
So you're there now you are playing for Nelson Spirit
White up against Nelson's Spirit Blue. You great mate Joe
Edwards is in that side. Why two Nelson teams is
that because you guys qualified automatically and they kind of
felt like the other team had to have a Crack
and qualify through.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
That's basically it. We because we qualified because we won
last year, we got automatic qualification, so that meant our
club could then go through the you know, the whole
qualification process again in Nelson. Win the event to Nelson,
then play the winner of the team from Marlborough and
that's what that's the pathway to the national final. And

(03:59):
it was our other Nelson team, skip by Joe, that
won that qualification process in our region. So that's why
we've got two teams here at National Final. It's pretty exciting.

Speaker 2 (04:11):
Well, it must be be great to come together and play,
But like, does this count as far as a not
towards what your third silver star if you win?

Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yes, so the if you go through win this, it
does count towards your silver star.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
How close are you to number three silver stars? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (04:31):
Oh, don't really like to say, because I think it
could be fourteen.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
There you go right away, I've done it. I'm sorry,
I'm sorry.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Yeah. So the silver stars include light inter center in
the club championship champions three fives. The gold Stars, the
gold Star titles are your national championships. So that's the
New Zealand National Singles pairs or fours.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
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