P. C. Skoglund brought a new image to bowls

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32715, 18 September 1971, Page 5

P. C. Skoglund brought a new image to bowls

The image of bowls has undergone tremendous change in the last 15 years and possibly no man has done more to bring this about than the current national singles champion and New Zealand representative, P. C. Skoglund.

The Skoglund name had long been synonymous with bowls when in 1958, P. C. Skoglund, as a mere lad of 20, rocked the New Zealand sporting scene, and more particularly the bowling fraternity, by winning the first of his four national singles titles.

A powerful blow had been struck to make bowls a game for men of all ages and not, as had been generally held until then, nne for those incapable of anything more strenuous. P. C. Skoglund’s grandfather, P. Skoglund, and his father, P. O. Skoglund, a onetime Minister of Education were both nationally recognised bowlers, but the most famous member of the family ■ was an uncle, T. T. (“Pete”) Skoglund. “Pete" Skoglund is still regarded as one of New Zealand’s great four skips, an honour earned by his winning of four Dominion titles in the role—the last being in the same year that his nephew burst upon the scene, 1958. Two years later “Pete” Skoglund won the Dominion pairs and in doing so became only the fourth man in the 57 years of Dominion tournaments to qualify for a New Zealand Bowling Association gold star medallion. Bright future The next to join this select group is likely to be his nephew as so clearly is P. C. Skoglund the top singles bowler in the country today that his winning of a fifth title seems inevitable. At 33, it is equally certain that before he is finished he will have rewritten the record books. When P. C. Skoglund won his first Dominion title at Christchurch in 1958 he was the youngest player at the tournament and as a member of a famous bowling family it was, perhaps, only to be expected that he would take up the. game. However, there can be little doubt that by his vic-

tory that year, Skogltmd opened the gate for younger men to play bowls in much greater numbers and today it is not uncommon to see as many players under 40 occupying a green as there are over 40.

Another player to bring youth to the fore at the top level was S. E. Lawson, of (Jhristchurch, who was 32 when he won the Dominion singles at Dunedin in 1968. Lawson took up lawn bowls after finding he enjoyed the indoor branch of the sport and this is not an uncommon means of introduction.

In the last two years the impact made by young bowlers at Dominion tournaments has been considerable.

In Christchurch last year, K. Darling, a 22-year-old from Dunedin, captured the spotlight by reaching the final rounds of the singles and in the process eliminating some highly-rated opponents. P. G. Jolly, 23 and also from Dunedin, went even better by being lead in his father’s champion four. This year at Wellington, J. Murtagh, aged 29, was lead in D. Baldwin’s champion pair and there were many other players of similar ages at that tournament

who distinguished themselves by coming through to latter rounds. In Christchurch there is a solid band of younger players who are carving out for themselves worthwhile reputations. Lawson heads the group, but he, along with the older top players, will be hard pressed to maintain his position in view of the form last summer of such youthful challengers as R. T. Bailey, T. N. Austin, P. F. Meir, B. J. Smith and B. D. Chapman. For these players and those like them the greatest advantage they hold is that time is so much on their side. It has been said that it takes at least 10 years in the game for a player to show his true worth and if blessed by reasonable health they will make formidable opponents when they are in their 40s and 50s. Good physical condition is more important in competitive bowls than is generally realised and therefore an experienced player of 40 can often have an advantage over an opponent just as well versed in the game, but 10 years older. The largest number of bowlers are men of middle age and .although the majority of them are happy to take the game as it

cames, there is a sizeable percentage who will openly admit to having regrets at not taking up the sport earlier than they did. All tastes Bowls certainly has a great deal to offer men of all types of character. For those who desire serious competition, and many have been used to it in other sports, it is the ideal outlet. Possibly in no other sport are the mental and physical demands blended so richly. To outgun an opponent tactically can be as stimulating, and

as important to the result, as the actual placing of the bowls. For the social bowler the game offers peaceful relaxation in pleasant outdoor surroundings; the intimacy of discussion among fellow players and the opportunity to mix socially with them off the green. The demands of the sport are what a player wants to make them and for the mid-week brigade it provides an activity which can make retirement more satisfying than it might otherwise be. Bowls is truly a game for men of all situations and outlooks, just as it is a game for those of all ages.