Tribute to Ross Haresnape by Lindsay Knight

 Ross Haresnape, much admired by North Harbour bowlers for his talent as a player and his judgement as a selector, has passed away, having battled ill heath for some time.

  Though the bulk of his extensive bowling career was with the Auckland centre, Ross made a significant contribution to Harbour, both playing and selecting, for a decade or so from about 2004.

 He was in a group of top bowlers, headed by Rowan Brassey and Danny O’Connor, who switched to the Harbour centre because of a disagreement with the then Auckland centre administration.

 Their arrival provided Harbour with a boost in overall playing standards.

  Ross played firstly with Takapuna, helping that club win the national sevens inter-club title in 2005, then more regularly with Birkenhead and Browns Bay.

  In his relatively short time with North Harbour he made an immediate impact, winning 11 centre titles between 2006 and 2012 and so adding a bar to his gold star.

  He, of course, won many other titles in Auckland and in a number of other centres and he won four national titles. The first of these was with the legendary Nick Unkovich in the pairs and the others in the fours with the likes of Brassey, O’Connor, Jamie Hill and Kerry Chapman.

 North Harbour’s most decorated centre champion, Colin Rogan, played with him at club and entre level and has fond memories of both the man and the bowler.

He described him as one of the game’s genuine characters who also enjoyed considerable success when acting as a centre selector.

 “He could play some of the most amazing and you often were left thinking how in earth did he do that,” Rogan said.

  Bob Howitt, who was in the 2005 Takapuna national sevens side with Ross, is another who recalls him fondly and as a wonderful story-teller as well as fine

 bowler.

 Bowls North Harbour and its clubs joins everyone in the New Zealand bowling community in offering Ross’s family heartfelt condolences.