Well did you ever?
The first of two “Christmas blogs” are designed to make you smile; a chance to reflect on life’s absurdities…
“Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities, has the power to make you commit injustices” … Voltaire
Well I never!!
I honestly never ever thought that I would be reporting the item of news that has just been sent to me.
But before I divulge it perhaps we should go back a few years, in fact we should go to the beginning of the present Century.
That was the year I was introduced to bowling in South Africa. I had played the harder game of Crown Green bowls in NW England – but we won’t go into that again.
What happened to our sides in India?
Yes, the emails and phone calls have flooded in from all over the country and from overseas asking “what happened to our sides in India?”
The answer is nothing; they played pretty well.
A long trip, new formats, a heavy outdoor carpet and the types of distractions only those who have visited the sub-continent will appreciate, were always “in touch” during the eight-nation event.
I suppose 4th, 5th and 6th in their events left the men feeling frustrated; they lost so many games by tie-breaker it was a joke in the end; just one shot difference in four games could have meant three medals.
The women won a magnificent gold in the pairs with Colleen Piketh and chirpy Brunhilde Rossouw hitting their straps, with Port Natal’s fine singles player Helen Grundlingh almost repeating her Atlantic Championships medal heroics, ending 4th after battling the elements to the end. The trips did not fare well, but the selectors may think again there before the Commonwealth Games at the same venue in October.
I await, with interest, head coach Theuns Fraser’s comments when his report is given to me.
But it looks as though, with a tweak or two, Bowls SA have got it right … I see plenty of medals come October.
The men’s Black & White Whisky All Cape Tournament is under in East London; just 17 sections – a far cry from the 44-section events a decade and a half ago. WP has a paltry entry of about 20 something sides, the usual reasons are prime suspects for the malaise. I spoke with affable convenor of the organising committee, Reg Misselhorn about why some sections have no WP teams or only one, while three sections have three WP teams. “It was the draw,” he said. What draw? Surely the idea is to separate the districts competing, then the clubs? The hosts with the largest entry have little choice but to “share” sections, but who wants to drive that distance to play against teams you meet every week in Cape Town. Other districts please note. Moreover, surely the name of the sponsor should be on all correspondence? We need our sponsors; support them; poor show East London.
A Level 1 markers/umpires course has been scheduled for June 19/20 and June 26/27; venue will be advised – to suit a majority of candidates from one area. The markers’ course is on the first weekend only; aspirant umpires should attend both weekends. Level 1 umpires wishing to upgrade to Level 2, should apply – and up to date and signed log book is required. Course theory will be way of overheads. Contact Jean Nell 0217128979/jeannell@mweb.co.za or
Doreen de Power 0214237672/23dor@cybersmart.co.za
Another success for the youngsters trained in the Helderberg Basin as Strand’s Romano Frans skipped Devon Kempt, Craig Rozier and Adam Zartz (manager, Paul Cohen) to glory in the Bowls SA U-19 Development Interdistricts in Mpumulanga. They beat Boland B (Jean Pierre Lewis, Tristan Perrins, Chris Botha, Monique Payne (manager, Hermien Fourie); Northern Free State earned bronze.
WPCC’s SA Junior Masters champion Jacqueline Janse van Rensburg (Mariette de Villiers, Janita du Toit, Merle Valentine, manager, Wilhelm Malan) continued her rise in the rankings, skipping WP Under-25 women to a bronze medal at the Under-25 Interdistricts at Nelspruit. SA star SA masters champion Tracey-Lee Botha‘s Johannesburg BA side won from Eastern Gauteng star skip Roxanne Tingle.
A gremlin appeared in an article in the Cape Argus, in which the new dates for the Super 10s were announced. All matches begin at 2pm on Saturdays, NOT at 9am as stated; apologies for any inconvenience.
Bettie Marcus/ Stellenbosch Van der Stel All Day, 8.30 am June 3; food/ wine; mixed fours; women to skip; 3 x 14 ends; R200 a side; Marlene Lambrechts 0827291730/0218865158; lmarlene@telkomsa.net
PSG Konsult/Strand women’s trips; 1st prize R900; May 13, 9am; dress – colourful; 2×12, 1×15 ends; R150 a side; Sussie Boonzaier 0218543068; Elsa Peters 0218536051/0827767762; Jonetta Joubert 0218532564/072108 0325; closing: May10.
Edgemead Motors/Engen Winter League Fours; Saturday, May 22-June 19; open format; R300 a side; R5 000 prize money; 1:30 for 1:45 pm; Graeme Kemp 0215584057/0787928438
Colleen not alone on the lonely path to the top
GOLDEN GIRLS: Standing proudly on the winner’s dais, Brunhilde Rossouw (Southern Free State, centre, left) and her skip Colleen Piketh (Johannesburg Bowling Association) listen as the South African national anthem is played for their gold medal win in the eight-nation bowls test tournament in Delhi. They are flanked by Australia (silver medal) left, and Scotland.
The world’s best singles players are the albatrosses of the greens. Like the magnificent feathered ocean travellers who ply their own routes, four-wood bowlers are always one or another type of loner; needing to be their own person, so demanding is their discipline.
They are probably “related” to 100m elite athletes. Sometimes brash, aloof, bold, tough, independent, confident, the breed possesses special ingredients required to survive the rigours of the track’s blue riband event.
It is no different for bowlers.
No teammate is there to “pick you up” or “urge you on”; your thoughts, game plan, shot execution, memory of the hours of practice, the confidence in delivery and choice of strategy are your sole companions.
Top singles players are found in one of three groups of loners – “quiet sorts” (such as, Judy Armist, Doug Watson, Richard Corsie, Bill Moseley, Margaret Johnstone, Joe Peacock, Kevin Campbell, Shaun Addinall, Gerry Baker, Wayne Perry), “can-be-noisy sorts” (Cyril Lahana, Jeff Rabkin, Pauline Price, Lorna Trigwell now Smith, Peter Bellis, Steve Glasson, Neil Burkett, Willie Wood, David Bryant, Tony Allcock, Karen Murphy) and the “dark horsess” (Trish Stein, Eric Johannes, Evelyn Chiat, Tommy Harvey, Bruce Makkink, Donny Piketh, Rob Owsley, John Milligan, Pearl Lamprecht).
So where would you put a bonnie Johannesburg lass, a top player, already a multiple champion at every discipline and at every level, but in particular a mean, nagging-at-you, never-give-up, woman singles star … Colleen (Webb) Piketh?
Tell you what, if selected for any discipline, I wouldn’t bet against her as emerging as Commonwealth Games champion in India later this year, or as the 2012 World Champion in Australia, particularly as she is at her most lethal on fast, true greens, of course she might not even be playing singles for South Africa, especially after her pairs performance in India in April.
Indeed, in Helen Grundlingh (Port Natal), South Africa have a solid performer – she narrowly missed out on bronze in the singles in India.
At the eight-nation event in Delhi (Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and South Africa) Piketh and Brunhilda Rossouw (Southern Free State) in the women’s pairs brought home South Africa’s only medal.
The duo beat off the world’s best to bring home the gold – testimony to Piketh’s class and the emergence of a glittering talent – spotted by the selectors and afforded a chance she eagerly accepted.
But Piketh’s long list of top medals has been set up primarily as a singles player. Her titles are too many to list here; the inventory puts one to sleep, so long does it stretch,
Wags say mother Barbara bought her first real shoes when she was four – bowling shoes. Few dare argue that. But with such skill genes from mom (a SA Senior Masters champion) and dad Clive, in his day the silkiest deliverer of a bowl that ever walked a green and a champion to boot, how could schoolteacher Colleen falter?”
One of many victories stands out.
“I think my greatest moment was when I won the singles gold at the Atlantic Rim (now the Atlantic Tournament) at Ayr in Scotland. To compete as a 23 year-old on the world stage and triumph was something; I was so proud for my country, my family and myself.”
That phrase sums it up; she put herself last … she goes into the “quieter type of loner.”
What makes a now 30 something dedicate herself to bowls?
Colleen sums it up: “I have always enjoyed bowls. My mom included me in her teams from the start and we did well together. She gave me guidance and support; she taught me a lot. Dad was also always supportive and a great source of savvy. Now my wonderful husband Adrie (of the outstanding Piketh bowling family and a top player in his own right) is a wonderful supporter … how can I miss?
You can’t, and you won’t … I’ll bet on that as well.
How amazing, players, selectors, journalists and administrators…
How amazing, players, selectors, journalists and administrators often disagree on team choice; should not all assist one another? It appears not.
An article I wrote (see www.thebowlsblog.com - enjoy, complain) about selection of the men’s districts side (perhaps cowardly hindsight), was, I admit, poorly researched. It upset the selectors; in particular convenor Alan Lofthouse, who has put hours into playing, selection, administering …he has “put back” for honours won; WP needs his expertise.
He wrote me an e-mail; I expected it.
There is no doubt I should have consulted him; I could not get him, so went ahead and wrote anyway.
It was a poor decision and against a strict ethical code maintained throughout 40 plus years of journalism worldwide.
Yet, in the moment of misjudgment I felt I too had put years back into the sport; I felt justified in exercising individual opinion. It was wrong and apologies to Alan, his selectors and the WP executive.
In my feeble defence, however, whatever I said was true and in which I believed.
Ironically, that touched many nerves … truth hurts. Sometimes a cathartic experience stimulates responses that might solve a plethora of ills; sometimes not.
Nevertheless, I hope it kick-starts a change in the handling of the WP men’s side.
I have known and admired Lofthouse for three decades. This spat will not, I am sure, affect our friendship or mutual respect, but may have taught us a lesson.
Lofthouse is too old a hand; he knows he is ultimately responsible for the manner in which the team performs – badly for some time. True the loss of Burkett, Epstein, Evans, Esterhuizen and others has meant acute change; incidentally, the women, as I wrote in the same article, “lost” 15 top players in eight years, but still won this year.
Lofthouse is not in any media pillory. Rather, it is the very system he follows so assiduously that requires addressing. The team does not have to win; it is the manner in which they lose that is important.
Our able selectors must be encouraged to continue their tireless and thankless work, but administrators must pay closer attention, without interfering, players must co-operate fully and the media try to be more constructive and proactive.
What do you understand by a “fully house?” To my mind it is an 8 or a 9; but is it a four at singles? Yes and no … in the real sense. Some bowlers have been claiming a “full house” of four (singles) from their insurance broker(s) who specified (unwittingly and perhaps naively) a full house without stipulating (as do Warwick and Perfect Delivery) an 8 or a 9. The insurance companies have (again, to my mind) incorrectly paid out. That smacks of bowlers’ duplicity and unfair advantage taking. Those involved, however “legally” correct, should repay that money and desist from further such crass behaviour.
Old Oak women’s all-day: April 14; 9am; fours; R220 a side; R800 1st prize; order lunch two days before event; Coen Vermaak 0219136028/0823485225/oldoakbc@gmail.com
Milnerton’s Ladies’ Day (bowls & brunch) is on May 12 from 9.30am. Rinks, R140 a side; Jennifer Gordon: 0215510979/0835644556/glgordon20054@telkomsa.net
Helderberg Personal Trust/Peter Grant Fund/Shoprite Checkers Mixed Sixes; prizes R6 000, R3 000, R1 800; Friday, April 9/Saturday 10; 3x 15 ends daily; six players (mixed in each discipline); 6x trips, 3 x pairs, 3 x fours; R150 per player (R900 per team) includes teas and lunches; Peter Human: 0218528368/0828712162; Joe Hodge: 0218520436/0833080390.
Strand: PSG Consultants’ Ladies’ Trips; Top Prize Of R900; May 13, 9am, Prize For Best Team Strip; 2x 12 Ends, 1 X 0218543068; Elsa R150 A Side; Closing: May 10: Entries: Sussie Boonzaier: 0721080325 / 0218532564 / 0827767762; Jonetta Joubert: Peters: 0218536051
