Lawson And Grantham Qualify To Keep Bowls Three-Peat Hopes Alive

The Mt Albert duo of Gary Lawson and Tony Grantham have kept a record-breaking three-peat alive after qualifying for post section play in the 2025 Summerset National Championships in Auckland.

Meanwhile international Leanne Poulson has made a winning start in the women’s singles competition in her attempt to become the first person in over 25 years to successfully defend the national title.

However competition in the Open Disability Singles is wide open with last year’s winner Wayne McCarthy from Mid Canterbury not making the trip north to defend his title.

Poulson, who represented New Zealand in the recent World Champion of champions Singles in Auckland, was among the big names to safely navigated the qualifying sessions of the 2025 Summerset Open Women's Singles.

The men’s pairs championships attracted 218 combinations with 87 teams qualifying for post section play.

They include Lawson and Grantham who made history last year, when they became the first men's pairs combination to win back-to-back national titles.

It would also extend a remarkable record for the much-vaunted Lawson, who has won seven national pairs championship titles dating back to his first with Andrew Curtain in 1997. His other partners in going on to win national honours include Curton in 1997 and 2008, Dan Delany in 2010, Neville Rodda in 2017, Ali Forsyth in 2018 and Grantham in 2023 and 2024.

Grantham has won also won in 2014 with Mike Nagy.

Other strong combinations to qualify include previous winners Lance Pascoe (Elmwood Park) and Jamie Hill (Mt Albert), who prevailed in 2021, as well as the Mangere duo of Chris Lowe and Jordan King who won the title in 2019.

Other teams with impressive form this week who will challenge for a place at the pointy end of this competition include Commonwealth Games medallist and 2018 world singles champion of champions, Shannon McIlroy and Nelson’s Robbie Reed; Southland’s national player of the year in 2023, Sheldon Bagrie-Howley and Aidan Zittersteijn; plus acclaimed young pairing of Taylor Horn and Jesse Russell from Cambridge.

In the women’s singles, Poulson was in emphatic form and posted a perfect record as she endeavours to become the first women to win back to back singles titles since Marie Watson in 1997.

Young gun Briar Atkinson is striving to continue her meteoric rise in the sport, while world champion Tayla Bruce is also safely through, after surviving a 20-21 loss to Jenny Stockford, the mother of Para BlackJack representative, Teri Blackbourn.

Former winners still in the field include internationals Selina Goddard and Debbie White.

Leading qualifiers in the Summerset Nationals Open Disability Singles include 2023 Disability Bowler of the Year, Darron Wolland from the Papanui club who won this event the last time it was held in Auckland, and is in strong form this year as he looks to recapture the title.

World Champion Julie O'Connell has also qualified for post section and regular performers such as Adam Baillie, Chen Naude, Warwick Flintoff and Hazel Littlejohn will be sure to mount a strong challenge for the title.

At the conclusion of play tomorrow, two players will remain standing to compete for the New Zealand Singles crown on Finals Day on 5 January.

Full results here: Singles: https://bit.ly/2025WomensSingles

Disability Singles: https://bit.ly/2025DisabilitySingles

Pairs: https://bit.ly/2025MensPairs

A live broadcast will be available on Sky Sport NZ and the Bowls New Zealand YouTube channel.

Details: bowlsnewzealand.co.nz

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