Milika Nathan – World Champion
Millie Nathan, one of North Harbour’s most popular bowlers, achieved the greatest prize of her relatively brief career by winning the women’s world champion of champions title on Saturday at the waterlogged greens of Browns Bay.
The Birkenhead club member representing Tonga, the small island nation for which she has a family heritage, beat the defending champion, Anne Nunes, from the United States, 5-4, 5-3 in the final of a tournament which used the sets format.
Millie, who has been playing only seven seasons after joining her father Peter and brother Chad, both also accomplished bowlers, at Birkenhead while only in her early 20s. Before that Millie, whose day job is teaching at Northcote Intermediate, had been a promising basketballer who gained New Zealand honours at age-group levels. Her win at international level at the weekend capped what so far has been a meteoric bowls rise. She already has a centre gold star and just a few weeks ago added to her Harbour titles by skipping Lauren Mills and Lisa Dickson to the centre’s triples championship, and while still a junior she represented Harbour at open levels.
To win the final Millie had to overcome what were extremely challenging conditions. For after fine weather for the tournament’s first four days Saturday brought constant showers and play was only possible through the work of Browns Bay volunteers, plus the new World president Brett O’Riley and Bowls New Zealand chief executive, Mark Cameron in using “swidgees” to sweep the water away. Despite that, and some of the difficulty bowlers had in delivering the jack, play was of a high standard.
After winning six of her seven qualifying games in a section which also included Ireland’s Sally Kelly, Millie showed impressive form in post-section play. In the quarter-final she comfortably beat Teokotai Jim, from the Cook Islands and the mother of Tiare and Emily who a couple of seasons ago played briefly at the Takapuna club.
Millie then had an epic semi-final win over England’s Stef Branfield. She decisively won the first set but dropped the second narrowly for the game to go to a three-end tiebreaker. This seemed to be beyond her grasp when she dropped a four on the second end to go 4-1 down. But with a three on the third Millie forced it to an extra fourth which, in a vivid illustration of her calm under pressure, she took with a single.
While she represented Tonga, Millie joined an illustrious band of New Zealanders, who have won this event since it was launched in 2003. Among the women have been Jan Khan in 2010, the great Jo Edwards in 2011 and 2018, Sandra Keith in 2012 and just two years ago Tayla Bruce.
Male winners have been Ali Forsyth in 2004, Millie’s Birkenhead club-mate Tony Grantham in 2007 and more recently Shannon McIlory.
New Zealand’s women’s representative this year, Leanne Poulson, narrowly missed making the post-section, while the men’s representative, Aiden Takarua lost a closely fought final to Australia’s Lee Schraner.
As well as Millie’s Birkenhead club, Bowls North Harbour and especially the Browns Bay club, whose greens were immaculate, could take pride in how the event was hosted and presented.