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Introduction
Lawn bowls is in many ways a special sport. Men and women can compete on equal terms. Your status on the bowling green simply reflects your experience and ability at bowls – other aspects of life are not relevant.
This egalitarian ethic makes it a great escape from other responsibilities, and enables people from many different walks in life to enjoy playing together. Win or lose good sportsmanship, good etiquette and convivial social interaction are integral to the game.
Centre Winter Bowls
Wilton entered 2 teams in the Centre Winter Bowls played at Naenae from June to August.
The competition was made up of 10 rounds of a round robin followed by a semifinal and final in each of 8 divisions, depending on where each team finished after the 10 rounds.
The Wilton Bush Tui team (Terry, Brenda, June and Shaun with reserves Clint and Hugh) lost the division 8 semifinal match to the Khandallah Jack Touchers.
Congratulations to Wilton Bush Kereru team (Bill, Tim, Allan, and Keith with reserves Trish and Lindsay) who defeated the Stokes Valley Tui 20-13 in their semifinal and went on to defeat Wainuiomata Iron Wolves 14-7 in the Division 5 Final.
Miramar the overall winners received the Thelma Chapman Turner trophy.
Change to Twilight Bowls 3Five Competition
Bowls Wellington has changed the playing conditions for the 2025/2026 Junior (year 1-5) 3Five Competition, allowing social and casual players to participate, even if an individual may have more than 5 years’ experience.
A social or casual player can only play for one club and cannot play in the Open Grade competition. Any Junior team with social or casual players must include a full club member to ensure etiquette and rules are not compromised. Wearing club colours will no longer be compulsory and will depend on club policy.
Bowls 3Five is a short sharp format (about 60mins) played on Monday evenings at 6pm. It is for those with busy lives, to enjoy summer evening bowls.
Enabling social and casual players to participate may lead to some becoming addicted, then feeling compelled to join up as full playing members!
“Stronger Communities Through Sport”
This is the title of a report about the National Sports Club Survey conducted over 7 years from 2018 to 2024. It was a joint project between the NZ Amateur Sports Association (NZASA) and AUTs Sports Performance Research Institute (SPRINZ). The aim is to strengthen all varieties of grassroots sport, to nurture an inclusive sporting culture in our local communities.
Interesting insights from the survey are:
Average club membership is approximately 200. Large clubs are growing while small clubs (less than 100 members) are becoming rarer or closing.
59% of club members are male, and 41% female. Clubs need to be pro-active and intentional in supporting women and girls. Enablers of participation are inclusive environments, building friendships, visible female role models, and social events tailored to women. Equitable access to facilities and training is important as well.
Many club leaders on Boards and Committees have held their roles for extended periods which provides continuity and institutional knowledge. Healthy turnover however, helps organisational innovation and agility, enhancing the club’s ability to adapt to change and engage with a broader cross-section of the community.
Clubs innovated from necessity during and after the pandemic. Examples are: working with schools to provide coaching and holiday programmes, introducing video analysis and online coaching, sharing facilities to manage costs, and offering flexible membership including “pay to play”.
Volunteers involved in club management have declined with reliance on a small group of individuals doing the work of many, placing long term sustainability at risk. 16% of clubs have a paid manager.
51% of clubs have a lease, contract, or other arrangement with their Council or Local Authority. Building more consistent and productive engagement with the Local Authority, particularly in urban centres, is critical to ensuring clubs can thrive in an increasingly complex operational environment.
This report provides food for thought, and ideas for us to consider at Wilton Bowling Club.
Upcoming Events (Karori Players are welcome to join in)
19/9/25 4.30pm Pre-season Coaching – Every Thursday until end of October – Including video analysis.
27/9/25 Opening of Summer Bowling Season 2pm– Club Colours to be worn.
5/10/25 1pm Ready to Roll 2025 Open Day - All welcome - Please bring family and friends.
Team Photo, L to R: Allan, Tim, Keith(skip), and Bill.
Wilton Bowling News
Introduction
The winter solstice has passed and the days are lengthening. We can look forward to Spring and the new summer bowling season starting in September. To keep all members whether full playing, associate or social, informed about what is happening at the Wilton Bowling Club, this Newsletter will be sent out from time to time. It is an adjunct to the information available on the website.
Barbara Leach
The first item of news is from Barbara Leach and her son Jonathan. Due to mobility issues Barbara is not renewing her membership this year. Jonathan wrote on her behalf to pass on
“her sincere appreciation for all the happy years she had playing bowls and socialising with all the members. She so thoroughly enjoyed it and misses it terribly.”
Well Barbara, we will miss you too, especially your lively chat, and your ability as lead to deliver winning bowls to a short jack!
Winter Activities
Sunny windless days have made roll ups on the Thorndon green enjoyable this winter, although later in the afternoon as shadows fall it can be very chilly. It’s great to have the company of Karori bowlers both on the green and at the bar afterwards. We will look forward to seeing more of them this summer season while their green is being renovated.
We have two teams in the winter competition at Naenae - 40m rink is challenging!
Two coaching sessions at Upper Hutt Bowling Club in July have revealed the secrets of better bowling – just need to translate these into reality on the green.
Interesting takeaways learnt:
● Mental preparation and calmness are vital to success.
● Bowls entering an adjacent rink and risking collision should be stopped and returned with the option to re-bowl. Lifting bowls is out!
● Training drills, coding, video recording and analysis can all be used to self-assess and improve performance.
● In Australia, competitive games involve fist pumping, high fives and sledging!
● Team dynamics improve with pre and post-match discussions about the game (car-pooling helpful)
● High Performance coaches from Bowls Wellington are available to help Clubs.
Bowling Arm
Declining mobility is unfortunately for many of us, a natural consequence of getting older. An aim of the Club is to keep everyone bowling as long as possible. The exercise and social contact enhance wellbeing at any age. Using a bowling arm can compensate for limited flexibility and ability to bend down during the delivery.
The proprietor of Bowls Specialists in Pretoria St, Lower Hutt explained that bowling arms are popular and many of his customers have improved their game with use of this accessory. Our club has a bowling arm, hanging behind the door of the clubhouse office, available for use by any of our bowling members. It provides an opportunity to try one out, before committing to buying.
Steps have been installed on two corners of each green to facilitate movement from the surrounding bank to the green. This has however resulted in difficulties with green keeping, which means modifications will be required. Options such as using moveable steps are being investigated as a possible solution.
Ready to Roll 5th October 2025
New Members are welcome to join the Club and at the beginning of the summer season an introductory day for new bowlers is planned. As part of an initiative from Bowls Wellington called Ready to Roll 2025, this event is scheduled for 1pm on Sunday 5th October at participating Clubs throughout Wellington, including our Wilton Bowling Club.
Please let any friends or family know that this will be a chance to try out bowling in a novice friendly environment with club bowls and guidance on their use available. Social members who wish to become more involved with bowling will be welcome as well.
75th Anniversary of Wilton Bowling Club
The first bowling green in Wilton was opened for play on 17th February 1951, making February 2026 the 75th anniversary of this event. To celebrate the occasion a special tournament is planned for Friday and Saturday 6th and 7th February 2026, with a dinner on Friday night, and including commemorations of the clubs past activities.
It is proposed that the Wilton Jubilee Triples Tournament will feature significant prize money, attracting bowlers from across Wellington, from other areas of New Zealand, and even from Australia. Additional festivities will appeal to social members and the public. As well as celebrating 75 years it is hoped to boost member engagement, expand the club’s reach, generate revenue, and enhance the reputation of Wilton Bowling Club as a leading community sports venue.
Please note the dates 6th and 7th February, because whatever the format decided, this will not be an occasion to miss!
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