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Retirements will have repercussions

(The Citizen - March 24, 2006)

WHILE it came as no surprise to most of the bowls fraternity, the retirement from international bowls by Western Province stalwarts, Neil Burkett and Eric Johannes will have its repercussions.
Johannes, the first bowler of colour to wear a Proteas blazer, made his intentions clear when he moved to Australia where he now plays professional bowls and looks likely to make that country his home.
In addition, while there might have been rumours that Burkett, who has served South Africa on bowling greens throughout the world for many years, was also to move and live in Australia these seem to be unfounded after his statement in the press this week that he will now devote more time to his club WPCC.
After winning a bronze medal in the triples with teammates Johannes and Gippo Vermeulen, Burkett said, “It’s time I gave something back to my club. They’ve supported me for years so it’s time for the younger players to have a go and for me to give something back.”
South African men’s fours and triples teams have been built around Burkett for so many years now it is going to hard to get used to not having him there. His has been the backbone on which other players climbed as he carried them through to many medals in world, Commonwealth and African States encounters. His guidance and leadership will be missed.
Therefore, in one fell swoop there are two places available in the national side – a skip and a top class lead. There should be an almighty scramble for those places and it will be interesting what our selectors do now without these two automatic choices.
While the men may not have too difficult a job filling the spots available, the performance of the women bowlers in the Commonwealth Games is cause for panic.
The triples side lost to Jersey in the quarterfinals, while the pairs combination finished either 13^th or 14^th – the result did not get to us.
Only Lorna Trigwell and Gerry Baker survive as this is written and by the time it is read you will know their fates.
All we can say about this women’s side is “Oh dear!” Admittedly, at a distance, it looks horrific but when the team gets back home, we will know just what happened. Or, will we?

QUITE a discussion ensued at a club last weekend after a bowler asked if the action of spotting the jack after a drive had burnt, an end was to become law.
It is not law yet but there appears every chance that it will be given the feeling by many bowlers that the drive is being abused and used as a form of gamesmanship.
This became tacitly obvious at a recent pairs tournament where two Kimberley bowlers known nation wide as the “Kopklappers” (head breakers) used the drive so often that a local law was enforced that after five burnt ends the scores should be carried down and a half point credited to each team.
Unfortunately, this did not stop the Kopklappers and in the late stages, they used the drive to gain the necessary half point to win the game and allow them to finish ahead of their opponents in the final tally.
No one is saying they could not do what they did but doesn’t their type of action make a mockery of our genteel game called lawn bowls.
To explain: The spotting law, if instituted will see the jack that has gone out of bounds replaced on the green one-metre in from the side it went out and one metre from the bank. If the jack goes over the bank it is replaced one metre in on the centre line.

JUDY Armist, a past president of the South African Women's Bowling Association has passed away. One of the great women in the game, Judy played for South Africa, was SA Masters champion in 1981 and played in 17 consecutive Masters. When her active bowls career ended, she used her considerable talents in administration and was a life member of the Border Bowls Association and of her club, St Andrews.
As president of SAWBA she and I crossed swords several times, but in later years after her retirement, we became good friends and swapped many stories of the goings on in bowls.

Younger players benefit by absence of stars

The Citizen - April 28, 2006

Several districts playing in the annual inter-districts tournament in Johannesburg were denuded by the unavailability of many players, but this has been to the benefit of many others who have the opportunity to further their own causes.
The absence of some players has definitely shown in the form of some teams, more particularly Western Province where they have lost four of their top players to retirement and lack of leave left for bowls has become obvious.
Without Neil Burkett, (in Australia), Eric Johannes (no longer available), Kevin Campbell (reportedly retired) and Shaun Addinall (no more leave) they are much less the team they have been.. However, this is not say that the team put together has not acquitted itself well and the younger players drafted into the side have coped admirably with the task.
Not least of these is 40-year-old Peter Harvey, son of one of South Africa’s greatest bowlers, Tommy Harvey, who passed away at the age of 42 in the prime of his bowls career. Just to watch the son play one sees the father in him and that recognizable push delivery is so evident in the son.
Western Province manager, Bobby Cron said Harvey would soon be skipping one of the WP teams in inter-district tournaments.
It was also fortuitous for Western Province that former international Alan Lofthouse was able to make himself available to skip one of the WP fours after it became obvious Neil Burkett would not be back from Australia in time . His experience at this and international level has been a definite factor in helping the WP younger players..
There is a lot of youth in this tournament not least of all from Bloemfontein where we have Clinton Roets, Wayne Perry – both already internationals – Handre Marais who made such an impressions in gaining a bronze medal in the SA Masters, together with Wayne York and Jarred Oracki. With this talent, the future of the game in Bloemfontein looks very alive and well, if not now, as they lead their section after the sixth of the nine rounds.

Talk of younger players brings us to thoughts about upcoming international events and the national selectors are expected to go for youth when they pick their sides for the African States tournament in August. They are due to announce their sides at the end of the inter-districts this evening (Friday).
When I say going for youth I apply that more to the men than the women for there is a definite lack of younger players of established caliber among the women, a matter that should receive the urgent consideration of national and district executives.

So with youth in mind what do you think – and I expect brickbats – of my side for the African States.
Men: Fours: Brian Dixon, Wayne Perry, Duane Abrahams and Handre Marais. Singles: Nic Rusling.
Women: Fours: Loraine Victor, Cheryl Cox, Colleen Webb and Esme Steyn, although I would like to see Leone Durand, recently returned to the game among those names. For the singles there is only Lorna Trigwell.

Men’s national tournament chair Nicky Parker has been at the inter-provincials as a spectator and tells me all is in readiness for the tournament that begins in Cape Town on May 13 with the pairs competition. Headquarters is at Constantia.

One thing the inter-provincials have brought out is that there are some better bowlers on the national executive. National president Piet Breitenbach skips one of the two North West fours while executive member Tys Pringle has the same job for Limpopo.