Northland bowls stalwart Steve Smith honoured with memorial tournament

Jan and Kevin Smith were determined that the tournament started in honour of Kevin's dad, Steve Smith, would be back on again this year, despite long time host Waitangi Bowling Club closing down.

The Steve Smith Memorial Bowls Tournament is returning, but this year it will be in a different venue.

Named in honour of Northland bowls stalwart Steve Smith, the tournament is now in its 27th year, with bowlers from across Northland expected to take part.

The tournament had been held for all those years at Waitangi Bowling Club, but with the club now defunct the Kawakawa Bowling Club had asked if it could host the event, and it will be held there on November 30. It was to be held on November 16, but forecast bad weather saw it postponed to the end of the month.

Smith's son Kevin and his wife Jan were determined that the tournament would not be consigned to history after the Waitangi club folded, and they were delighted that Kawakawa had offered to host it.

''It's been going since 1995 and dad spent his whole life bowling and is well known in Northland,'' Kevin Smith said.

Northland bowling stalwart Steve Smith. The Steve Smith Memorial Bowls Tournament will return on November 30, with the event moving to the Kawakawa Bowling Club.

He was pleased the memorial tournament would continue.

Every club in Northland has been invited to send players to the triples-format tournament, with others possibly coming from Auckland for the event.

Match convenor Matthew Taylor said the Kawakawa club was happy to have taken the tournament on, but the short time to organise it meant it could not be put on the club's official schedule for the season so had to be fitted in on a Wednesday.

''Next year we'll have it on a Saturday or a Sunday, rather than during the week. Wednesday events can be hard to get people to.''

Taylor said the tournament would start at 9.30am and there were still some spots available.

To enter people can call Taylor on 022 412 2335 or go to the club's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079722640031