Bowls: Titles still motivate Khan

Matamata bowls legend Millie Khan and her two daughters, Jan and Marina, will be in Wellington looking for more national titles from tomorrow.

But titles aren't her only motivation.

The 62-year-old loves national tournaments, it gives her a chance to catch up with friends. She hasn't missed the nationals since 1978, her second year in bowls.

"I really enjoy them. It's not just the playing - it's meeting all the girls again you've met in previous years," she said.

Khan, retired from the international game, now plays "when I want and in what I want."

Her competition has pretty much been confined to invitation events, and she took part only in the Matamata club's championships triples because if she won the singles she would not have been available for the champion of champions event. She played in the Burnside Invitation pairs instead.

"But the form's pretty good, about as good as it could be," she said.

Khan won the singles and the pairs with her daughter Marina, and was narrowly knocked out of the fours by eventual winner Judy Howat (The Park, Kilbirnie) in last year's nationals.

Khan has four singles wins (1989-90-92-2000), two pairs (with Gay Holmes in 1994 and Marina Khan last year), and three fours.

Two of those fours were as lead to the outstanding Rhoda Ryan (Matamata) in 1989 and 1990, and in 1997 she skipped Jan Khan, Min Risbridge and Bev Corbett to victory.

Risbridge is missing from this tournament and has been replaced by Rotorua's Mina Paul, who has played for New Zealand.

Marina and Jan are now highly competitive players as well, but Millie says there was no pressure on them to play the game.

Khan plays Nelson's Jo Edwards in the first game of her singles tomorrow. Edwards is close to grabbing a national team spot.

"Some of the younger ones are really starting to come through now," Khan said. "But they've still got to get past some of us oldies though."

Leading that veterans' group are Khan and Howat - the winners of all three titles last year.

"Judy looks well - she sprints up the green like a little chicken," Khan said.

- NZPA