Bowls: Youngster bowls over veterans

Jack Green (right), with teammates Neil Buckner (left) and Ric Lydford. Photo / Supplied

Jack Green, a 14-year-old Albany Junior College pupil, caused a flutter among the usually staid North Harbour bowling community as a central figure in one of the centre's most startling upset results.

With Mairangi Bay clubmates Ric Lydford as skip and Neil Buckner as two, Green at lead is believed to now be the youngest winner of a Harbour centre open title when the line-up won the champion of champions triples.

To do so the unfancied Mairangi Bay trio had to overcome some of North Harbour's most renowned bowlers. In the qualifying round they beat Browns Bay's Neil Fisher, John Walker and Colin Rogan, who between them have amassed multiple centre and national titles.

Then in the final they won comfortably 20-12 over an equally formidable opposition, Orewa's Frank Arnerich, Brent Turner, North Harbour's most decorated bowler, and David Eades, who also boasted several centre and national titles.

"Against opposition like that I think the odds against us had the TAB been taking bets would have been astronomical," Lydford said. "To win against that Browns Bay side was special in itself and I would have felt quite satisfied just to have been runner-up to Orewa in the final. "

The win was special for Lydford, for at 66 and after bowling for 16 seasons, and with several club titles, it was his first centre open success, as it was for Buckner. Aged 55, Buckner has been playing bowls for only two years, yet already has two open titles for last year he was in a winning Mairangi Bay four.

But Lydford agreed that it had been Green, in only his fourth season as a bowler, who had been the star. This had been recognised in an e-mail sent to the club by Turner, in which he congratulated the club and praised Green's composure, maturity and technical ability.

Green now has a looming sporting dilemma for he is also a promising golfer, who plays off a five handicap at the North Shore club. He's even competed at the world junior championships in the United States, and at ages six and nine achieved holes-in-one. After the first of his aces he and his mother, Pam, were interviewed by TV One's Andrew Saville. From that meeting Saville and Pam were eventually married.

Bowls, now appears to be Jack's priority, despite a continuing love of golf. However, Pam believed playing both had some benefits because of their many similarities.

While Green seems to have been Harbour's youngest centre winner Wellington's Seamus Curtin was 13 when winning that centre's champion of champion pairs in 2013-14.