Levin bowler John Boy Walton still has what it takes to compete at 92

Indoor bowls action from the Levin War Memorial Hall

A Levin indoor bowler laughs when he thinks that just a few years ago he was classed as a junior bowler.

John Boy Walton still finds it funny to think he was called a "junior". It just that the 92-years-old didn't take up the sport until he was in his early 80s.

"I loved that. They used to call me a junior," he said.

He had played bowls originally as a young man in Scotland, but that was more than 60 years ago, and he was relishing a chance to rekindle his love for the game.

Walton was a sailor who went sea in 1942 at 15. He spent the next 27 years at sea.

He moved to Horowhenua from Scotland in 2004.

"I've never looked back. It was the best move I ever made." He was visiting a daughter who lived in Levin, and had stayed ever since.

Walton took on a tournament at the weekend alongside more than 40 bowlers from the lower North Island at Levin Memorial Hall for a Levin RSA Indoor Bowling Club gala day.

He had a good day on the mat and on several occasions a bowl would win the applause of an opposing team.

Club president Dean Berry says the club meets every Monday for games and held fun days and two major tournaments, including a charity gala where all money raised was given to charity.

He said while there were winners, there was a large focus on fun and friendship.

"Everyone's a winner," he said.