The National Open bowls championships begin tomorrow on greens around Auckland, with the biggest names in the country coming together to compete for New Zealand's premier bowls tournament.
First held in Dunedin in 1912 and rotated yearly through the four major centres, the National Championships give bowlers from all cornersof the nation a chance to compete at the highest level for the honour of a national title, while testing their skills against the Black Jack bowling elite.
The tournament lasts 13 days, attracts more than 1000 avid bowlers and is hosted by more than 30 bowling clubs in the Auckland region, with some clubs offering multiple greens for use.
Tournament director Allan Griffiths said organising such a high volume of athletes was a "very interesting logistical situation".
"I had my first meeting with the host centre 14 months prior to the event - that's basically to inspect the facilities, what clubs are likely to be headquarters, whether the greens are going to be sufficient standard to host the finals, because you want the best possible playing services.
"Then, of course, all the information has to go out to all those clubs in the host centre, saying we're going to need umpires, we're going to need recorders, we want you to cater. There's a lot of work involved."
The tournament is a vital part of the pathway from aspiring high performance bowler to Black Jack. Although there is no guarantee of representing New Zealand when a title has been won, all bowlers have the chance to prove themselves in front of Black Jack selectors.
With entry open to any bowlers, from old hands to up-and-comers to those that have only just stepped on to the greens, the tournament always attracts a plethora of entrants. But numbers are down this year, and Griffiths was unsure as to why.
"It is a bit of a concern," he said. "We're not 100 per cent sure why, whether it's the economic climate or not. I do know you struggle to get people from the South Island to come as far north as Auckland, and vice versa.
"We're going to be looking at doing a bit of a survey through the players as to why they didn't play in Auckland."
Among the top bowlers rolling up at this year's championships are Black Jacks Danny Delany, Richard Girvan, Genevieve Baildon and Leanne Curry - the national team's newest recruit. Having recently returned with gold medals from the 2011 Asia Pacific Championships in Australia, these will be the players to watch.
First up tomorrow will be day one of section play for the men's pairs and the only day of section play in the women's singles. The event run until January 9.
