Tenpin tourney aims at Special Olympics

LINE UP: Kate Bruce of Masterton about to bowl.PHOTOS/LYNDA FERINGA

Tenpin bowlers from Wairarapa are honing their skills ready for the 2017 Special Olympics after completing a non-contest tournament with their capital city counterparts in Masterton yesterday.

Steeven Sharpe, lower North Island regional sports co-ordinator for Special Olympics New Zealand, said the national body was keen to get a Wairarapa ten-pin bowling team up and running for the 2017 games, which will be held in Wellington.

He said 24 players had come together in Masterton yesterday to bowl a few friendly frames, including players from the Tararua Day Base and IDEA Services in Masterton, and Special Olympics Mana and Special Olympics Wellington players.

Special Olympics co-ordinators and representatives from each area also went along yesterday to oversee the friendly tournament and cheer on the players, he said.

"We'd love to link this in with the Special Olympics tenpin bowling activity and hopefully the games today will lead to more regular Special Olympics activities in the future for those who are over here, and will get a team ready for the national summer games in 2017."

Sharpe said Wairarapa had fielded an aquatics team at the last Special Olympics and players at Masterbowl yesterday would help populate an inaugural Special Olympics ten pin bowling side from the region.

Masterbowl co-owner Angie Flemming said special needs bowlers had been playing at the Masterton bowling alley for more than four years and the tournament yesterday was the second of its kind in about three years. Bowlers from the Carterton Broadway group and Masterton youth bowlers also played at the facility, Flemming said. "We love them, they're a great bunch - just cool."