Bowls: Stork before bowls for defending champion

Aucklander Justin Goodwin, who last season became one of the youngest winners of the national lawn bowls singles championship, will not be defending his title in Tauranga this week.

Instead, the national under-30 representative will be at the bedside of his partner, Nicole, who is preparing for the birth of their first child.

She was admitted to hospital last weekend when her pregnancy became difficult and she was ordered to rest. Their millennium baby will be induced three weeks prematurely on January 1.

The highly talented Goodwin, who at the age of 22 beat Phil Skoglund jun 21-13 in last season's singles final at Christchurch, told the organisers earlier this week to take his name out of the singles and pairs draw.

Palmerston North's Phil Skoglund, named the player of the tournament last season after winning the pairs championship with his brother Raymond as well as being runner-up in the singles, has not entered the Tauranga tournament.

A national trialist, Skoglund is joined on the sideline by three of New Zealand's World Bowls players - Peter Belliss, now living in Noosa, Paul Girdler, a singles semifinalist last season, and Andy Curtain. The other two World Bowls representatives, Rowan Brassey (Auckland) and Russell Meyer (Palmerston North), have entered.

A total of 400 players will line up for singles qualifying on 25 greens in the Bay of Plenty on Tuesday. The pairs qualifying on 20 greens the following day has attracted 312 combinations, and 154 teams have entered the fours championship during the second week of the Tower-sponsored national men's tournament.