Rob Ashton overcame a sluggish start and a tough opponent in Canterbury's Alvin Gardiner to achieve a notable first in the final of the New Zealand Open bowls men's singles at Henderson yesterday.

Rob Ashton, formerly of Wellington but recently moved to Auckland, put himself in line to not only defend his pairs title but also to win the singles championship at the New Zealand Open at Henderson.

Leading Auckland women's bowler Karen de Jongh suffered further heartbreak at the New Zealand Open at Henderson yesterday when she and her experienced pairs partner Bev Crowe narrowly missed making the final.

Mandy Boyd showed she possesses the right stuff today in delivering a bronze medal for her team in the women's fours at the Commonwealth Games.

Qureshi Ayub Mohammed and Ali Shan Muzahir have become famous for something other than their curry: they are Pakistan's first Commonwealth Games lawn bowlers.

New Zealand's bowls team's preparation for the biggest challenge they'll face at the Commonwealth Games moves up a gear this weekend.

New Zealand's top lawn bowlers will try to get a handle on the slow greens expected at the Commonwealth Games by heading to the Northern Hemisphere this weekend.

Bowls NZ says the Auckland Bowling Club is among just a minority in the sport to persist with single-sex membership.

Bowling clubs are hungry for new blood as membership numbers dwindle

An Auckland sports club formed 32 years before women won the right to vote is keeping up its shutters against female membership.