Adopted Southlander wins national men's bowls title
Southland bowls' golden 2023 has continued into 2024.
2023 was a golden one for the sport of bowls in Southland - one of the most historic to be frank.
But the start of 2024 suggests that wasn’t a flash in the pan with the string of Southland bowls success stories showing no signs of slowing.
Gore’s Sheldon Bagrie-Howley did come up short in his attempt to defend the New Zealand men’s singles title at Burnside on Friday.
Bagrie-Howley progressed to the 2024 final where he attempted to become the first player to defend the national men’s title since Ali Forsyth in 2002 and 2003.
While it came unstuck at the final hurdle it wasn’t all bad news, in terms of a Southland point of view.
Bagrie-Howley lost the final to Aiden Takarua who is now a Southland representative bowler. An adopted Southlander who might say.
Takarua moved to Invercargill from Auckland in October.
He has linked with the Waikiwi Bowling Club and has been named in the Southland open men’s fours combination for the southern zone tournament.
Friday’s victory over Bagrie-Howley locked in Takarua’s first national open title.
Takarua won the men’s singles title 21-18 in an epic final that spanned 26 ends and finished after 7.30pm in rain and gloom.
It was anyone’s final throughout, and at 19-18 after 25 ends Takarua had the inside running in the race to 21. He secured the two shots he needed as Bagrie-Howley’s final draw on a long end wasn’t quite close enough.
The positive Southland results to start 2024 weren’t restricted to the men’s singles final.
Craig Tinker also impressed in the men’s singles action progressing to the final 16 and Southland can lay claim to five national medals to start 2024.
On top of the gold and silver in the men’s singles, Julie O’Connell picked up and silver medal in the open disability pairs, and Warren Patterson and Mo Henderson claimed bronze in the same event.
