All Bowls has been suspended due to the Coronavirus, please see below for latest release from Bowls Canterbury:

Coronavirus – Update 8: 20 March 2020

March 20, 2020

Dear All

Due to the ongoing health and safety concerns regarding Covid-19, and the speed at which developments are occurring, Bowls Canterbury has today reached the decision to suspend all bowls. This means all club events and tournaments, all school programmes and all social events for the remainder of the 2019/2020 are cancelled or postponed (postponement date TBC)

This decision follows Bowls New Zealand’s update which provided a recommendation: as of Friday 20 March, Bowls New Zealand strongly recommends that (until further notice) all bowling clubs throughout the country be closed for all organised bowls events and activities. https://bowlsnewzealand.co.nz/featured/coronavirus-covid-19-update-18-03-20/

Please note – the follow is effective immediately:

• Under 5 Fours Playoffs; 21 March – postponed
• Manning Cup Playoffs; 21 March – postponed
• Under 5 Singles; 22 March – postponed
• ALL Club Events and tournaments – cancelled /postponed
• All social roll ups – cancelled

The health and safety of our bowls community is our top priority and while the above restrictions do not prevent clubs from operating on their facilities, Bowls Canterbury urge clubs to adhere to current Ministry of Health regulations in this regard.

This is a challenging time for all. If you have questions or need any assistance at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Please also consider the following contacts for you and your members should it be required

National helplines

• Need to talk? Free call or text1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor
• If you are in self-isolation, call Healthline first(0800 611 116). 
• Lifeline– 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline– 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
• Healthline– 0800 611 116
• Samaritans– 0800 726 666
• Your GP is a good starting point. For support with grief, anxiety, distress or mental wellbeing aswell.
• If you have been overseas within the last 14 days and develop a fever, cough or shortness of breath, phone Healthline’s dedicated COVID-19 number 0800 358 5453or contact your GP, including phoning ahead of your visit.
• For COVID-19 health advice and information, contact the Healthline team (for free) on 0800 358 5453or +64 9 358 5453 for international SIMS

Stay safe and look after yourselves.

 

 

 

Disabled Bowls Tournament in Kaiapoi

Kaiapoi Riverside Bowling Club held a disabled bowlers tournament on Saturday 19 May 2018 from 10am to 3.30pm. The public were invited to come and see some champions in action. 

Frank Overend is so passionate about bowls, and being a disabled bowler himself, he came up with the idea and was thrilled with the response. 

Fifteen teams from Canterbury clubs and as far south as Omakau and Balclutha accepted the invitation and played two games of eight ends in the morning and one game of twelve ends in the afternoon against club members from Riverside. 

Frank spent nine months in hospital with a broken femur and now has a one-inch leg difference, and so qualifies as a disabled bowler. He has won gold and silver medals. Other medal winners that played in the tournament, well known in the world of bowls, were Graham Shaw, Bruce Wakefield and Snow Reardon.