KEY POINTS:
Tony Grantham, the surprise singles winner at the recent national championships in Dunedin, will be among leading players in action in major Auckland Anniversary tournaments this weekend.
Grantham will be with his Birkenhead clubmates Don Trott and Colin Rogan, the long-serving centre representative, in the North Harbour $10,000 premier triples starting at Browns Bay today.
Forty-eight teams will be seeking the first prize of $2400, and though the Birkenhead trio will be one of the fancied combinations they will face tough competition.
Last year's winners, Silverdale's Brent Turner, another regular centre representative and multiple titleholder, and former national champion Petar Sain, from Auckland's Carlton club, will be back, but with a new lead in Scott Curran.
Another former national champion, Ross Haresnape, has teamed up with experienced Auckland centre bowlers Tony Garelja and Wally Marsic, while John Walker skips a powerful Harbour team of Tony Marinkovich and Randell Watkins.
Also being decided today, tomorrow and Monday is the Manurewa Invitation pairs.
National representative and 2005 national singles champion Dwayne Cameron and another former international, Gisborne's David File, will defend the title they won last year.
Other stars in the Manurewa event include Rowan Brassey, Justin Goodwin and the Scott brothers from Dunedin, Terry and Jim.
First prize in this tournament ensures automatic entry into a major pairs event in Australia, the Warilla invitation in New South Wales.
The Rawhiti club's Anniversary Weekend tournament has been cancelled because of insufficient entries.
