The Opotiki Premier (or 'the Meat Tournament' as many know it as) took place a few weeks ago. Now in it’s 23rd year, the tournament has over that time put the small Opotiki Bowling Club on the map of tournaments to attend.

23 years ago, the club was persevering with a number of  'time-honoured events' that were not only well past their use-by date,  but well past the point of engendering any enthusiasm from the wider bowling fraternity.  These 'time-honoured events' were being continued despite falling entries and lack of financial viability.

The idea for a completely new tournament was hatched by a small group of the younger members of the club. They wanted something that could be bigger and more exciting - as well as a financial boost to the club.

The Masonic Hotel agreed to become the sponsor for this new tournament. And at a time when extremely liberal rules applied to the distribution of funds from pokie machines, the Masonic agreed to ensure a particularly generous allocation was available to support the new tournament. It would be 'The Masonic Tournament.'

That sponsorship enabled the new tournament to afford larger prizes for the 4 divisions - prizes much bigger than at any other Opotiki, or even Centre tournament.

However the main point of difference was that there would be prizes for all players - those who didn't win a monetary prize would be presented with a leg of lamb. 18 or so small lambs were bought and fattened up on Opotiki local Murray Clark's dairy and beef property.

Over the 23 years, the meat prizes gained a reputation as premium hogget. Any excess (usually 4 or 5 whole hoggets as well as the chops, shanks, flaps, kidneys, liver, hearts and excess leg roasts from the meat prize packs) were put up for auction.  The auction generated enthusiastic bidding,  all but covering the cost of the original lamb purchases.

That said, the new tournament wasn't easy to get started.

There was huge opposition from within the club and reluctance to budge on creating anything new or different. So much so that the club committee at the time only agreed for the new tournament to proceed if its backers agreed to financially underwrite it.  They did.  The tournament went ahead.  And today the rest is history. 

'The Meat Tournament' has attracted a solid base of continuous player support from far and wide - teams from Hamilton; Thames; Waihi; Paeroa; Tauranga; Rotorua; Ngongotaha; Reporoa; Gisborne; Kawerau;  Whakatane; and Ohope have all particpated in a generous tournament that has prizes for all. The tournament consistently attracts 28 or 30 teams. Many of this year's players were at the inaugural event, and at the event for many of the ensuing years.  

No one appreciates the tournament more than the Ngongotaha Club which has won 'the Meat Tournament' an impressive 5 times.  Although returning this year with a couple of veteran teams filled with the usual suspects, the winning team for 2018 (made up of Juniors) were all on their first visit to Opotiki.

Congratulations go to: Shon Fitzgerald; Dion Khan; Whenu McKinnon - win number six for Ngongotaha.