Bowls: Maori to hit the greens in full force

By LINDSAY KNIGHT

Anyone who still thinks Maori sporting prowess is confined to the two rugby codes and netball should check out a fair section of Auckland bowling greens this weekend.

On Saturday and Sunday, Maori bowlers from throughout New Zealand will gather in Auckland for the Aotearoa national tournament, which has sufficient entries to make it one of Auckland's, and New Zealand's, biggest this summer.

A total of 60 women's fours will play for a first prize of $1200 and 48 men's fours will contest the same prizemoney, as well as the Ahitana Cup, which has been at stake since the first Aotearoa tournament started as a men's-only event in 1975.

The finals will be staged at the headquarters' greens at the Okahu Bay club on Sunday.

Greens at Rawhiti, Mt Wellington, Onehunga RSA and Otahuhu Railway will also be in use.

Some of the country's more prominent Maori bowlers, such as former national representatives Kerry Chapman and David File, plus the daughters of the late Millie Khan, Jan and Marina, and one of the organisers Pat Campbell, will be missing. But there will still be some quality bowlers in the fields.

Mark Hall, who recently won his Auckland centre gold star, in particular, will skip a powerful Mangere men's four which will have another centre champion and representative Mike Reid at three.

A celebrity from another code, former Kiwi league international and grandfather of the Warriors star Stacey Jones, Maunga Emery, who has been playing bowls for some years, will skip a four from his Pt Chevalier RSA club.

Past winning skips of the Ahitana Cup include File (1991) and Chapman (1998), while Wayne Motu, one of the tournament conveners with the Auckland centre's Barry Greer, was lead in the winning East Tamaki four in 1994.