Audrey Stevenson – Semi Finalist at National Champion-of-Champions

Audrey Stevenson

Top Kapiti Coast bowler Audrey Stevenson from the Paraparaumu Beach club had another top performance at the national champion-of-champions singles playoffs at the Naenae Bowling club’s indoor green in the Hutt Valley over the weekend of 5 - 7 July. In this event the winners of each of New Zealand’s 27 centres singles championships met to find a national winner. Play on the first day was in sections on the first day and Audrey won all her four games against the representatives from the Gisborne-East Coast, Taranaki, North Harbour and South Canterbury centres.

In winning her section Audrey qualified for the quarter finals where she met and defeated Jan McLeay from Bay of Plenty by 21 points to 18. This meant that Audrey met Kirsten Edwards of Nelson, a current member of the national Black Jacks team, in the semi-final. Kirsten had recently won a gold medal at the Asia-Pacific championships on the gold coast of Queensland as a member of Val Smith’s winning fours team. Kirsten continued her strong form to defeat Audrey by 21 points to 6 and then go on to take out title by beating Debbie White of the Waikato centre 21 – 18.

Still, it was another very strong performance from Audrey at the national level.

- Kapiti Bowls

BOWLS KAPITI COAST AWARDS 2018-19

Audrey Stevenson receiving the Player of the Year trophy from centre Vice-President Graham Fairburn

Central President Gary Burns receiving the Club of the Year trophy from our sponsor Brian Anderson of Gipsy RV Centre , Levin.

Over a hundred keen bowlers were present when the third annual Bowls Kapiti Coast Awards were presented at the Central Bowling Club, Levin on Sunday 26 May. The awards for the 2018-19 season which recognize excellence among the thirteen clubs from Waitarere Beach in the north to Paekakariki in the south which make up the Kapiti Coast centre, were compered by leading sports broadcaster and bowler John McBeth.

Trophies and certificates were presented for all of the centre’s open and champion-of-champions events as well as for interclub, pennants and other competitions between the clubs, and certificates and badges were awarded to representative players. Paraparaumu Beach were the most successful club over the season, followed by Central and Levin with players and teams from those clubs winning the majority of the competitions.

The awards for the various categories of player awards were determined by points accumulated in centre events over the season with the winners being:

• Female Representative Player: Krys Andrews (Waikanae)

• Male Representative Player:  Rhys Hakkens (Waikanae Beach

• Female Junior Player:  Paula Vercoe (Central)

• Male Junior Player:  Dereck Taylor (Central)

• Female Veteran Player:  Dot Collis (Central)

• Male Veteran Player:  Rex Holmes (Paraparaumu Beach)

• Female Open Player:  Audrey Stevenson (Paraparaumu Beach)

The overall award for Player of the Year went to Audrey Stevenson who this season won another three centre titles to take her tally to 53 titles, which as far as the centre can determine is a record for any woman in New Zealand. She also accumulated 22 more points than any other player.

This season’s Club of the Year is the Central Bowling Club, Levin which had the highest rate of participation in centre events and interclub competitions, the second highest rate of success in those events as well as very sound management, excellent facilities and a record second to none in developing junior players.

The centre also made an award for the Emerging Club of the Year which went to the Paekakariki Bowling Club which has made big gains in attracting new players and becoming an increasingly competitive club over the past season.

The centre thanks all of the sponsors for the awards, especially the major sponsor Nulook Kapiti.

Information kindly provided by

Ken Hayward
Publicity Officer
Bowls Kapiti Coast