Bowls: Chapman's timing spot on

By Graham Skellern

North Harbour's Kerry Chapman picked a fine time to fulfil his promise as one of the country's most talented lawn bowlers.

After winning the champion of champions singles title in Rotorua on Sunday - giving the Glenfield club their first national title - the 27-year-old Chapman sprang into the calculations for the five-man New Zealand under-30 team, to be named on Monday.

"I haven't seen him focus as well as he did in Rotorua. He pushed his barrow really hard," the convener of selectors, Sid Giddy, said yesterday.

"I don't think we have a problem with the under-30s side. There are six there who look quite comfortable and it's going to be embarrassing leaving one of them out.

"There could even be an opening to lift one of them out and play lead in the senior team," he said.

The delighted Glenfield club members on Monday night put on a celebration party for their new champ. Chapman, who will now have a year's use of a new Mazda car, began playing bowls at the tender age of 14 and made the New Zealand under-25 side in 1995.

Formerly an Arapohue club member and Northland representative, Chapman moved to Auckland four years ago and quickly established himself as a leading bowler in the region, first with the Hillsboro club and this season with North Harbour and Glenfield.

An automatic choice for centre representative play, he never did kick on and establish himself at the national level, at times wondering whether he wanted to maintain the hectic pace of constant bowls.

"I got a job and made some good money," said Chapman, a carpenter by trade. "And this year I set a goal of doing something big. It's been a long time coming for me, but I had been playing well all season.

"All week [leading up to the champ of champs event] I focused so hard - reading sports psychology books and thinking about my attitude on the green. When it came to play my concentration and effort has never been better.

"I hope I have put my foot in the door and the New Zealand selectors will give me a go. I have matured a lot as a person and at my age I know I can still make something of the game," said Chapman, who has won five centre titles and this season has played 42 high-pressure singles matches for 39 wins.

He did his cause no harm when he beat three New Zealand representatives on his way to his first national title - David File 21-14 (he led 17-4) in the quarter-finals, Andrew Curtain 21-18 in the semifinals, and Russell Meyer 21-8 in the final after taking a 10-0 lead.

And he gets a further chance to impress this weekend when he partners the experienced Pat Robertson in the pairs of the combined Far North/Northland/North Harbour team that competes in the inaugural Super Eight regional event in Palmerston North.

It is the final opportunity for the selectors to take a look at the form bowlers before naming the New Zealand men's and women's senior and 60 years and over teams, as well as the under-30 men and Academy women, for the transtasman test series against Australia in Sydney in May.

Chapman's name now goes into the under-30 melting pot, along with former Hillsboro clubmate Justin Goodwin - the current national singles champion, Wanganui's Sean Johnson, Gisborne's Dwayne Cameron, Wellington's Adam Newman, Christchurch's Glen McDonald and Sean O'Neill of Timaru.

In-form Pakuranga greenkeeper Michael Galloway, a favourite to win the Auckland Bowler of the Year award next week and who fell in the quarter-finals of the champ of champs singles by one shot to Curtain, could be a bolter in the national senior side.

A former national squad member and New Zealand B representative, Galloway - who, like Chapman, has shown outstanding form all season - has the experience to handle the international leading role, in place of the established Curtain who is unavailable.

Galloway could join Peter Belliss, Rowan Brassey, Russell Meyer and Philip Skoglund in the latest senior team. It could be a wonderful family occasion for the Skoglunds, with father and son contesting the same test series.

Phil Skoglund sen - one of the country's greatest bowlers who still plays at the representative level - has indicated he is available for the Masters team (60 years and over) and is certain to be named as the fours skip - in place of Giddy, who is now selecting.