08/03/2026
Busy Weekend of Champion of Champions Bowls! ☀️
It’s been a big weekend for the Kaikōura Bowling Club with Champion of Champions action taking place across Marlborough.
On Saturday, the Singles were hosted by Picton where LeRoy and Julie proudly represented Kaikōura. Julie had a tough start and was unfortunately knocked out in her first game. LeRoy, however, fought his way through round play to earn himself a spot in the final against Simon Hitchcock (Riverside) for the Singles Champion of Champions title. It was a great battle, with LeRoy leading for much of the match. A couple of costly ends late in the game saw momentum swing, and Simon eventually took the win 21–17. A fantastic effort from LeRoy nonetheless.
Today it was our turn to host the Fours here in Kaikōura, and what a day of bowls it turned out to be. Arguably some of the most exciting matches seen on our green in quite some time.
Our ladies team showed plenty of fight but unfortunately left their run just a little too late and narrowly missed out on a place in the semifinals.
Our men’s team, however, were outstanding throughout the day. The semifinals were absolute battles — Kaikōura vs Renwick on one green, while Havelock and Riverside fought it out on the other. Both games were incredibly tight with no team giving an inch, and both matches went to an extra end.
The final Kaikōura vs Riverside was just as gripping. End after end it remained close, with neither side able to break away. Two extra ends were killed before the third and final extra end saw the Kaikōura boys pick up a four — sealing the win and crowning them 2026 Marlborough Men’s Fours Champion of Champions! 🏆
This result now sees them heading away to Nationals, which is an awesome achievement for the team and the club.
After the last event (the 7s) was called off early due to torrential rain, it was great to see bowls played in beautiful conditions. Although the morning started off with a bit of fog, it soon lifted and the sun came out, making for a perfect day on the green.
A huge congratulations to everyone who played and thank you to all who came down to support and help make the day such a success. 👏