Bowls upgrading delights Mani

The fast-tracking of the upgrade to the bowling club’s facilities is giving lawn bowls a new zest – even while bowlers have been on a holiday and the confirmation that a new elevated green will not be ready in time for the Games. Bowls president Veia Mani was delighted with the changes being made to the Cook Islands bowling centre in Tutakimoa for the Pacific Mini-Games saying they represented long term progress for the sport.

No bowling has actually happened in the past few weeks because the grass on the main green is being rested so that the Mini Games bowls competition will have a good surface. Bowlers have used this ‘raui’ or timeout period over the past few weeks to fill in as landscapers, carpenters, painters and labourers. They are sprucing up the club to welcome fellow bowlers from the other Pacific nations for the biggest bowling tournament to be held in the country to date. “We’ve got these working bees every night at 5.30pm. We cross our fingers it won’t rain.”

The competition will involve the six island bowling nations of Samoa, Fiji, Tokelau, Papua New Guinea, Niue and Cook Islands while Norfolk Islands will have a solitary representative. Club president Veia Mani is optimistic the Mini Games will generate intense interest because if past experience is any guide the competition will be fierce and sometimes world class. The Fiji lawn bowls champion Ratish Lal for example is ranked number three is the world and is currently competing in a singles championship in Scotland before joining the rest of the Fiji team in Malaysia for the Asia-Pacific tournament.

Mani says all countries are familiar with how each other plays from competing in numerous international meetings and all will be providing stiff competition. The Cook Islands bowlers are not fazed about lack of recent match play while their home green is rested. They have home advantage which they believe is in their favour. According to Mani, the Cook Islands bowlers have undergone “mental preparation” working on their mindsets for “focus, concentration, and thinking positive” which will be vital during the Games. “We’re hoping that next week the team will go on the green for a few runs while we’re still working on it.

The plan is to have five weeks for the team to practice and to get their combinations right.” Mani says that his association is focused on getting the main bowling green right for the Mini Games. Because they are focused on preparing for the Mini-Games and have poured all their money into it, they have skipped invitations to overseas tournaments this year.

Unfortunately the new green will not be ready in time for the games despite being fast-tracked because it is embedded with small stones that prevents a true playing surface. But they still have to work on it and fix it quickly so that it can be ready for future tournaments on the clubs calendar including in November when a group of around 180 bowlers and supporters mainly Australians are expected. Mani said the construction of the new green fulfils along-held dream of the bowling club and he credited the Mini Games and government assistance for helping to get it off the drawing board and become a reality. But the tight timeline and government processes left little room for overcoming hiccups to have it ready for the Mini Games. “It would have been good if we had had the green for 12 months.” But as for the Mini Games itself, the bowlers are on a high. “We can’t wait for it to begin,” he says.