The New Zealand Professional Bowls Association start their 2017 domestic season with its highest membership since 2006 despite the delayed opening of a new complex in Wellington, and a slow response to Auckland’™s new covered green in New Lynn. Neither of those venues were able to open a new branch however the Naenae complex in the capital is still scheduled to host the NZ PBA Finals Weekend in September. Dunedins Lawn Bowls Stadium will be at near maximum capacity where 55 players will be battling long hours to complete their qualifying tournaments and a late surge of interest in New Plymouth assisted in the 11-year high membership.

The feature event during the long weekend at each of the five venues will be the qualifiers for the Scottish Singles with some strong early matchups in all locations. New Pukekohe coordinator Natarsha Grimshaw will open against Rob Ashton, while an all-North Harbour match between David Eades and Bart Robertson features in the other half of the draw. Last seasons World Indoor Singles representative Debbie Wilford will face Craig Johns, while visitors Steve Zino (Wellington) and Kevin Rice (Kapiti Coast) play each other in New Plymouth. Wellington travellers will provide another interesting clash in Hastings with the best kiwi from last year™s Trans-Tasman Challenge Laurie Guy up against clubmate Bradley Down.

Action starts in Dunedin on Friday night where Southland traveller Bronwyn Stevens faces local Bill Hinton while her husband Roger Stevens waits until Saturday afternoon to play Dunedin™s Ray Webster. The higher ranked players avoid each other in the first round in Invercargill but watch out for a potential second round clash between Richie Muir (Central Otago) and Southland™s coordinator Craig Merrilees on Sunday. Last year™s NZ PBA Scottish Singles representative Sheldon Bagrie-Howley does not return in time from an outdoor Australia v NZ development match on the Gold Coast to make the draw for the Scottish event but will be playing later in the weekend in Dunedin.

Draws for this weekends New Zealand Professional Bowls Association qualifiers:
(2016 rank) Names [PBA singles career head-to-head]

Sat 3 June 8am: Shanghai Singles Qualifier

Sun 4 June 8.30am: Scottish Singles Qualifier
1^st round “ (83=)Frankie Lim v (141=)Leeane Poulson; (21)Linda Ralph v (-)Colin Rogan; (20)Natarsha Grimshaw v (5)Rob Ashton [1-0 Grimshaw]; (debut)Gary Cotter v (160=)Julie Kerry; (32)Steve Hoeft v (196)Ian Fisher [1-0 Hoeft]; (debut)Jerry King v (debut)Chris Bull; (-)James Ballard v (debut)Mike Germann; (74)David Eades v (3)Bart Robertson.

Mon 5 June 8.30am: World Pairs Qualifier
1^st round Ballard/Lim v Ashton/Eades; Cotter/Rogan v Kerry/Germann; Poulson/Grimshaw v Fisher/Bull; Robertson/Hoeft v Ralph/King.

Sat 3 June 8am: Shanghai Singles Qualifier

Sun 4 June: Scottish Singles Qualifier
1^st round“ (42)Craig Johns v (13)Debbie Wilford; (debut)Raj Ravji v (160=)Fiona Mancer; (56=)Rhonda Adams v (55)Allan Batley; (-)Eric Pattillo v (debut)Trevor Simpson; (36)Cathy Andrews v (debut)John Cottam; (debut)Bruce Hall v (debut)Noel Bracken; (66)Steve Zino v (61=)Kevin Rice [1-1]; (185=)Steve Cottam v (debut)Melita Bracken; (debut)Wayne Hawkes v (40)Steve Muller; (56=)John Roberts v (25=)Ian Andrews [2-0 Roberts]; (debut)Midge Shaw v (debut)Gloria Shaw.
2^nd round (15)Don Christensen v winner Shaw or Shaw; (141=)Ian Monaghan v (58)Jayden Ravji; (67=)Kevan Sellars v (134=)Bridget Hook.

Mon 5 June: World Indoor Pairs Qualifier
1^st round Adams/G.Shaw v Rice/N.Bracken; C.Andrews/Wilford v I.Andrews/M.Bracken; Johns/Roberts v Ravji/Ravji; Hall/Hawkes v Pattillo/Simpson; Christensen/M.Shaw v Monaghan/Mancer.
2^nd round Muller/Sellars v winner Christensen/M.Shaw or Monaghan/Mancer; Cottam/Cottam v Batley/Hook.

Sat 3 June 8am: Shanghai Singles Qualifier

Sun 4 June: Scottish Singles Qualifier
1^st round  8.30am (182=)Sheryl Viggers v (-)Ken Smith; (150)Mark Burgess v (80=)Tilly Carlson; (83=)Scott Mackenzie v (123=)Cynthia Evans [1-0 Mackenzie]; (156=)Lisa Carlson v (-)Shoota Ballinger; (80=)Mike Le Geyt v (debut)Ray Martin.

2^nd round 8.30am: (98)Shirley Poutu v (193=)Peter Keighley [1-0 Poutu]; (9)Richard Corry v (debut)Cliff Marshall; (debut)Grant Sargison v (19)Dean Drummond.
2^nd round“ 10.30am: (1)Murray Glassey v winner Le Geyt or Martin; (debut)Bunny Kupa v (170=)Paul Viggers; (debut)Richard Kupa v (138=)Lou Newman; (10=)Paul Sorensen v (51=)John Young [3-0 Sorensen]; (37)Laurie Guy v (51=)Bradley Down; (25=)Chris Hueston v (88=)Terry Johnson [1-0 Johnson]; (51=)Tony Terry v (144)Gareth Evans; (104=)Kaaren Guilford v (99=)Mike Isaacson; (107)Tim Toomey v (116=)Dale Rayner; (83=)Ian Mason v (163=)Tanya Wheeler; (134=)Daryl Johnson v (24)Gavin Keighley.

Mon 5 June: World Indoor Pairs Qualifier
1^st round 8.30am Guilford/Wheeler v Mason/T.Johnson; Kupa/Kupa v Sargison/Poutu; Evans/Evans v Down/Martin.
2^nd round 8.30am“ David Jones/D.Johnson v Drummond/G.Keighley; Corry/Guy v Viggers/Viggers; Isaacson/Terry v Rayner/Newman; Mackenzie/Marshall v Smith/Ballinger; Glassey/Sorensen v Hueston/T.Carlson.
2^nd round 10.30am L.Carlson/Burgess v winner Evans/Evans or Down/Martin; P.Keighley/Toomey v Le Geyt/Young.

Fri 2 & Sat 3 June: Scottish Singles Qualifier
1^st round 6pm Fri (12)Paul King v (170=)Tom Taiaroa; (131=)Jess Matheson v (108=)Karl Mason; (48=)Bronwyn Stevens v (44)Bill Hinton; (67=)John Cross v (179=)Trish Marr [1-0 Marr]; (29)Lou Robinson v (debut)Reilly Paterson; (88=)Kevin Gledhill v (41)Marty Kreft; (116=)Coryn Huddy v (75)Sue Smeaton; (38)Ross Stevens v (debut)Gus Schaumkel.

1^st round 7.30pm Fri (debut)Helen Carman v (debut)Travis Cook; (83=)Sandy McNoe v (22)Duane White; (18)Andrew McCallum v (151=)Steve Clark; (30)Ken Walker v (debut)Jan Hall.

1^st round 8.30am Sat“ (108=)Peter Wilson v (163=)Joe Duncan; (63)Craig Wyber v (78=)Joe Moana; (131=)Phil Stevenson v (115)Bob Sanders; (debut)Barry Milburn v (debut)Kevin Powell; (debut)Lance Ibbotson v (46=)Murray Wilson; (120=)Elliot Mason v (-)Ross Brown; (145=)Peter Bell v (16)Andy McLean [1-0 McLean]; (151=)David Natta v (debut)Rob Fensom.

1^st round 10am Sat (2)Andrew Kelly v (debut)Jamie Nicol; (debut)Darron Wolland v (10=)Oliver Mason.
2^nd round 12noon Sat (188=)Graeme Jeffery v (134=)Brent McEwan; (-)Keri Rupene v (35)Russell Dawe [1-0 Dawe]; (debut)Adam McGregor v (14)Doug Thomas; (debut)Leo Brett v (debut)Jonty Horwell; (17)Roger Stevens v (27)Ray Webster.

Sun 4 June 8am: Shanghai Singles Qualifier

Mon 5 June: House of Travel Ranking Singles
1^st round 8.30am (27)Webster v (63)Wyber [1-0 Webster]; (44)Hinton v (debut)Wolland; (10=)O.Mason v (29)Robinson [1-0 Mason]; (30)Walker v (131=)Matheson; (-)Rupene v (46=)M.Wilson; (75)Smeaton v (108=)K.Mason; (22)White v (145=)Bell [1-0 White]; (67=)Cross v (41)Kreft [1-0 Kreft].
1^st round 10am“ (179=)Marr v (120=)E.Mason [2-0 Mason]; (8)Bagrie-Howley v (83=)McNoe; (88=)Gledhill v (debut)Cook; (debut)Fensom v (48=)B.Stevens.
1^st round 11.30am “ (151=)Natta v (116=)Huddy; (debut)Milburn v (38)Ross Stevens; (35)Dawe v (debut)Nicol; (151=)Clark v (debut)Horwell.
1^st round 2pm (-)Brown v (debut)Hall; (108=)P.Wilson v (14)Thomas; (debut)Carman v (debut)Schaumkel; (17)Roger Stevens v (12)King [1-0 King]; (debut)Powell v (134=)McEwan.
1^st round 3.30pm “ (78=)Moana v (16)McLean; (131=)Stevenson v (debut)Brett.
2^nd round 3.30pm “ (2)Kelly v winner Stevenson or Brett; (115)Sanders v (188=)Jeffery; (170=)Taiaroa v (debut)Ibbotson; (debut)Paterson v (18)McCallum; (debut)McGregor v (163=)Duncan.

Sat 3 June 8am: Shanghai Singles Qualifier

Sun 4 June 8.30am: Scottish Singles Qualifier
1^st round (108=)Brad Allan v (95=)Russell Cooke; (64=)Barry Stewart v (76=)Jason Heffer [1-0 Heffer]; (156=)Hugh Andrews v (151=)Matt Tautari; (78=)Ernie Johnstone v (-)Bob Howitt; (102=)David Alexander v (43)Richie Muir; (4)Craig Merrilees v (debut)Kerry Williams; (23)Brent Thomson v (debut)Thomas Eruera; (debut)Simon Swale v (119)Darren Broome.
2^nd round (debut)Peter O’Brien v (28)Aaron Tribe; (48=)Bruce Ross v (debut)Craig Tinker; (7)Shane Elliott v (debut)Nicola Heffer; (64=)Sonny Tautari v (95=)Mario Sopp [2-0 Tautari].

Mon 5 June 8.30am: World Indoor Pairs Qualifier
1^st round Johnstone/Cooke v Andrews/Williams; Swale/Tinker v Tautari/Tautari; O’™Brien/Eruera v Broome/Allan; Ross/Thomson v Muir/Howitt.