Brunei bowlers gear up for meet

The Brunei lawn bowlers practising at the Lawn Bowls Centre yesterday. Photos: Khairil Hassan

With the Invitational Lawn Bowls Pairs Open Championship coming up from Feb 8-12 managed by Riziq Management Services at the Lawn Bowl Centre of the National Stadium Complex in Berakas, the Brunei lawn bowlers are practising intensively for the meet.

So far, confirmed participations are - 20 men teams and nine ladies teams from Brunei Darussalam, one men and one ladies teams from Macau, one men team from Thailand, two men and two ladies teams from Sabah.

Hong Kong are expected to join while United Arab Emirates (UAE) have confirmed sending one men team, now that the visas of the bowlers have been obtained with the aid of the Brunei Darussalam Embassy at the UAE.

Hj Jaman bin Hj Awg Jumahat, President of Brunei Darussalam National Lawn Bowls Association (BDNLBA) said that he would ask the Brunei bowlers to train hard and play their best and show their abilities during the championship.

"I know that our bowlers are on par and can compete with the other international bowlers. Some are very experienced in this sport but we are also sending experienced players from Brunei," he added.

"Some of these players are gold medallists in the previous SEA Games in Brunei, Thailand and some played in the Asia Bowls and Asia-Pacific Championships. So we will be giving the international athletes a challenge as well," he said with a smile.

Mohd Israt Amiruddin bin Hj Abd Ghani, the assistant head coach said the veteran players are the ones with more experience and will probably give more challenge to the athletes from abroad.

"We pair the veterans with our young athletes, so that we have both experience and stamina in one team, which will give us more chances and advantages over the other," he added.

Hj Jaman would like to express their gratitude to the Youth and Sports Department for their support and also urged the public to come and support the event.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

LAWN BOWLS: ROOKIES LOOK TO IMPRESS



Both Mohd Mustafa Kamal (L) and Roy Anak Libau (R) will look to impress
at Wednesday's Brunei Darussalam Lawn Bowls Pairs Open Championships.
Picture: BT/ Jason Thomas

Jason Thomas
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Saturday, February 4, 2012

WEDNESDAY'S Brunei Darussalam Lawn Bowls Pairs Open Championships will mark the competitive debut of several new faces.

The event which will only see men's and women's pairs on offer has already attracted teams from Thailand, Macau, the United Arab Emirates and Sabah, making it the highlight of the local lawn bowls calender. Brunei is expected to field 29 teams 20 men and nine women.

The biggest international sporting event the Sultanate has hosted this year, the five-day tournament will go a long way in breeding a new generation of players while getting them even more passionate about the sport.

One of them is Hj Mohd Zahiruddin Hj Abdul Rahman, who is looking forward to going head-to-head against some of the region's top names.

"I had the chance to take up the sport one year ago and I've liked it ever since," said Hj Mohd Zahiruddin, who picked up the game in his school, Meragang Sixth Form Centre (PTE Meragang) where it is one of the extra curricular activities offered.

"This is my first tournament so I want to use it to pick up some exposure ... My target is to try my best," vowed the 20-year-old.

Hj Mohd Zahiruddin wasn't the only bowler from PTE Meragang who was training at the Lawn Bowls Centre at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas on Thursday.

Hj Zaini Hj Abdul Hamid, who was helping Hj Mohd Zahiruddin train, introduced the sport in PTE Meragang last year and it looks to have garnered good interest.

Roy Anak Libau, 19, has even less experience than his partner Hj Mohd Zahiruddin but that isn't stopping him from competing.

"I started two months ago and this is my first tournament," said Roy.

"I'm really excited and nervous about this ... (but) I hope it can help me prepare for future events," he added.

Though he is considered a veteran when stacked against the likes of Hj Mohd Zahiruddin and Roy, Mohd Mustafa Kamal who has been involved in lawn bowls for the past six years was just as eager to lace up on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old will be teaming up with his older brother, Mohd Zainurain, and he readily admitted the rest of the field will be a tough nut to crack though it's a task he is relishing.

"My target is to win a medal," smiled Mohd Mustafa.

"Sabah and Thailand will be strong, and so will the rest of the Bruneians. UAE are still new but I've heard they are improving."Mohd Mustafa is aiming to represent the country at next month's Warilla World Bowls Cup in Sydney, Australia and July's Malaysian Games (Sukma) in Pahang, making him one of the juniors to watch out for come next week. The Brunei Times

World Bowls approval for AeroBowls

 

The world's newest and most advanced lawn bowls manufacturer, Sydney based
Australian owned AeroBowls today received official World Bowls certification.

AeroBowls are manufactured at a state of the art plant in Rosebery, Sydney and are
part of the high profile Comfitpro group, a manufacturer and distributor of a wide
range of market leading bowls accessories and clothing.

AeroBowls is in the process of launching three models of bowls types on the Australian market and has plans to be a major exporter of bowls once production has been ramped up.

AeroBowls Chief Executive Officer Walter Jacobs, together with AeroBowls
Administrative Director Sharon Jacobs and AeroBowls Chief Operating Officer Rod
Heaton said in a joint statement today:

“We are delighted at the passing of this important milestone in our journey to bring a new level of technology and performance to the game we all love so much.

“The advanced technology we have brought to the manufacturing process - which is already used in biomedical, defence and aerospace industries around the world - means for the first time in the history of the game bowlers can purchase a set of bowls secure in the knowledge that every bowl in their set will be identical in trajectory.

“This is a fundamental guarantee of AeroBowls.

“It’s a major breakthrough for the game and represents a technological ‘catch-up’
compared to many sports.

“Sports equipment has evolved rapidly over the past two to three decades through the application of new materials and new advanced manufacturing processes, whether it be golf, tennis, football, sailing or cricket, to name a few.

“Our own personal experience as bowlers combined with a long and close association with bowlers at every level, made us aware of the shortcomings of traditional bowls and fed our desire to make the perfect bowl.

“We have been heartened by the support for the endeavour by elite bowlers in many countries who shared our interest in making a better bowl.

“AeroBowls is committed to remaining at the forefront of the sport and to a philosophy that ensures that all bowlers, regardless of their level of expertise, will have access to the same bowl. We do not and will not make special one-off sets for the professionals,” they said.

AeroBowls will be available in leading bowls outlets from March 2012.

Professional Bowlers who choose to play exclusively with AeroBowls include:
Kelvin Kerkow OAM - Commonwealth Games gold medallist
Brett Wilkie – Current world number two
Julie Keegan - World Championships gold medallist
Claire Duke - Commonwealth Games silver medallist 

Lawn bowls is set for change

Walter Jacobs CEO of Aero Bowls with his newly designed Lawn Bowl at

Ballina Bowling Club for the Summerlan Series Pair competition.

PLAYERS and spectators at the Summerland Pairs were treated to the first look at a revolutionary set of lawn bowls at the Ballina Bowling Club yesterday.

Aero Bowls chief executive Walter Jacobs unveiled the new shiny silver set as he teamed with Commonwealth Games gold medallist and former world No1 Kelvin Kerkow.

"We're about to launch these around the world and pretty soon everyone will be using them," Jacobs said.

"The worst enemy of a bowler is wind and these overcome it.

"The accuracy with them is unbelievable and we have dozens of orders already.

"Every ball and every set are identical."

The Aero Bowls are expected to be released in February.

Kerkow was happy to be back in Ballina as he and Jacobs advanced in their section before being bundled out 17-14 in post-sectional play last night by local pair Glen Pitts (South Lismore) and Brett Dean (Alstonville).

"The greens are always good and it's one of the most prestigious pairs events in Northern New South Wales," he said.

In a coup for the Ballina club, Kerkow will play both Summerland Series events for the first time this year.

The 2012 Summerland Singles will feature 64 bowlers and starts on Friday week.

BRUNEI TO HOST THE INTERNATIONAL OPEN 2012

Hj Jaman (2nd right) with officials from the Riziq Event Management Services. - Sahrol Daud

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei Darussalam will be hosting an invitational Lawn Bowls Pairs Open Championship next month which has attracted the interest from four countries so far.
The February 8 to 12 tournaments at the Lawn Bowls Centre in Berakas, saw United Arab Emirates, Macau, Thailand, Malaysia and Sabah confirming their participation in the inaugural event.
According to the President of Brunei Darussalam National Lawn Bowls Association Hj Jaman Hj Jamahat at a press conference held at Millennium Restaurant in Beribi yesterday, two categories will be contested.
"The competition will see contests in Men's Pairs and Women's Pairs with no age limit. Besides the confirmed participation, we are also waiting a reply from Labuan to take part," said Hj Jaman.
Asked about the country's bowlers, the president said: "Brunei will be represented by 20 men bowlers and about seven women bowlers.
To our bowlers, this is a great exposure for them as part of their preparation for upcoming tournaments.
"Nonetheless, the young bowlers can use this as a yardstick to test themselves before taking part in the Sukan. Malaysia (SUKMA) to be held in Pahang in July.
"Besides, the seniors can take this championship as a `warm up' training.
We are actually targeting a number of big competitions this year such as the World Cup in Adelaide end of this year, Asia Bowl in Kuala Lumpur and few others.
"We are also hoping that we can groom young players from now to get them ready for the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be hosted by Brunei Darussalam," Hj Jaman added yesterday.
Also present at the press conference was the Deputy President of Brunei Darussalam National Lawn Bowls Association Ampuan Ahad Ampuan Kasim and officials from Riziq Event Management Services.
The event is co-hosted by the Brunei Darussalam National Lawn Bowls Association and Riziq Event Management Services supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
Closing date for registration is January 28 and forms could be obtained from the Lawn Bowls Centre or through the competition secretariat's hotline 8859993 or 8669828.