BNZ Summerset 2025 National Men’s Singles & Women’s Pairs & Disability Pairs Report
Several bowlers from North Harbour clubs acquitted themselves with distinction in making the qualifying rounds of the men’s singles and the women’s pairs when the Summerset national championships concluded on January 9 at host club, Browns Bay Bowling Club. But despite these worthy efforts it was largely lean pickings for the centre when the championships reached the business-end of post-section play.
Harbour’s best performed men’s singles player was Steve Hoeft, who is in his second season with Takapuna after a useful record over many seasons with the Point Chevalier club. He made the quarter-finals, a splendid performance, but went down 21-14 to the eventual championship winner, Matt Berry, from the Blockhouse Bay club.
Others representing Harbour clubs who qualified for posts-section were Shaun Goldsbury, Lindsay Gilmore, John Geboers, Aaron White, Sean Mulholland, Colin Rogan, William Tonga, Phillip Chisholm, Brendon McPhail, Gordon Smith, Daymon Pierson, Jerry Belcher, Grant Goodwin, David Eades, Greg Hurn, Keith Benson and Bart Robertson. But other than Hoeft, Chisholm and Belcher were the only ones who made the round of 32 on the semi-final day. However, they could console themselves with the fact several past singles champions also did not survive the first day of qualifying. In this group were the likes of Shannon McIlroy, Petar Sain, Taylor Horn, Dean Elgar and Sheldon Bagrie-Howley.
Last season’s winner, Aiden Takurua, did make the second day, but went out in the round of 16, while Mike Galloway, winner in 2021, made the semi-finals.
Berry, a surprise winner, won the final 21-17 from Dunedin’s Keanu Darby, who was recently brought into the Black Jacks for next month’s Trans-tasman series.
Harbour club members who made post-section in the women’s pairs were Takapuna’s Black Jack, Selina Goddard, who played with the promising Taranaki player Briar Atkinson, Elaine McClintock and Millie Nathan, Jamie Chen and Connie Mathieson, Sheryl Wellington and Kerin Roberts, Hanaan Shahwan and Carol Voshaar, Rona Turner and Lin East and Theresa Rogers, who played with Wanganui’s Dianne Patterson. None made the quarter-finals, with the best performed being Connie and Jamie, Elaine and Millie and Theresa, who all reached the round of 16.
Aucklanders, Olivia Bloomfield and Lisa Prideaux, won the title, beating two youngsters and national development squad members, Ashleigh Jeffcoat and Henrietta Scott, in a closely fought final.
Olivia won her first national title but did win the Australian Open pairs with Paris Baker in 2022 and Lisa was a previous winner of this title in 2019 and 2021 leading for the great Val Smith.
The closest Harbour came in the final week to a title was in the disabled pairs when Graham Skellern and his Waikato partner Chem Naude were runners-up to Kurt Smith and Teri Blackbourn. Graham is still a member of the Takapuna club, but for the past two seasons has played most of his bowls in his home centre, Bay of Plenty.
However, the centre, and in particular the host club Browns Bay and those clubs who were supporting venues, could claim to be winners in a sense. The feedback from visiting bowlers was almost unanimous that the standard of greens and hospitality from Harbour clubs was of the highest order.