BOWLS BEING PLAYED FOR CASH

Press, 21 June 1980, Page 20

BOWLS BEING PLAYED FOR CASH

The fact that bowls in England has gon r professional has big implications for the game in New Zealand and could lead to bowls being deleted from the programme for future Commonwealth Games. This is the view brought back from England by Kerry Clark after his recent trip to the Kodak International tournament.

•‘T! e English Bulling Association altered its constitution in April rnd deleted the word ‘amateur’ from its name,” Clark said on his return.

“A general meeting of the English, Bowling Association — . which represents ail counties and clubs — voted for the change by 91 votes to 10. “The new situation will be considered by the British Isles Bowling Council in July, and there is a better than 50 per cent chance that the other home countries wilt go professional as well.” South Africa, which has been on the outer in international bowls over the last four years, has formed a professional body. “The 12 top bowlers, including Bill Mosely, Kevin

Campbell, Kelvin Lightfood and Mando Gatti, who comprised the winning world bowls team in 1976, have formed their own company,” Clark said “They have taken over a green and will stage their first professional tournament in July with prize money of $60,000. “They hope to stage four or five similar tournaments each year in South Africa,” he said. In Australia too the move is tow’ards professional bowls. New South Wales — the largest and strongest bowling state in Australia — has already favoured open bowls. A vote will be taken at the Australian Bowling Council meeting in September. “If Australia, the four home countries and South Africa are professional, there would be no alternative for New Zealand but to foliow,” Clark said. The issue of. professionalism in bowls is certain to the major issue discussed at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Bowling Association ~ in Auckland next week. The long term implica-

tions for New Zealand are serious.

“We are due to hold the world bowls championship in 1988 and it could be that bowls will no longer have a place in the Commonwealth Games promonweaith,” Clark said. “There will be drastic changes to bowls in England,” he said. The English Bowling Association will now be known as t'-.e English Bowling Association Promotions, Ltd, and no tournament can be played in England unless a licence has been obtained from the E.B.A. The E.B.A. intends to take a percentage of the sponsorship money for coaching. It is also trying to put 50 of the top bowls players in England on contract. “They will then be able to play only in tournaments authorised by the E.8.A., ” Clark said. Clark does not think that professional bowls would bring more tournaments to New Zealand. “At the moment there is limited money that can be spent on prizes,” he said. “But in the new situation players could play for the sky.”