Better known for their dulcet tones on radio and television, sports commentators John McBeth and Grant Nesbitt have spent the past week playing bowls in the BLK National Open Championships in Dunedin.

In the late 1980’s they were a very competitive unit and participated together frequently as representatives from the Seatoun Bowling Club. Nesbitt has continued to play at Seatoun but John took a break from the game when family and other interests got in the way, however, John is now back playing but at the Raumati South Club. The pair have also joined forces again and are frequent competitors in the National Championships.

In the early rounds at this seasons Championships the pair weren’t as successful as they would have hoped but once they teamed up with Simon Poppleton and Mark Benton to form a composite fours team they managed one win from the last round and took points from a bye game, so  will not be leaving Dunedin empty handed.

Nesbitt, a well-known rugby commentator, finds playing bowls in the summer fits well with his winter commitments and from time to time he has been part of the international bowls commentary team. McBeth commentated his first bowls event in 1975, but more recently is better known for his Sky Sport commentaries at Bowls New Zealand international events, including the recent World Bowls Championship in Christchurch in 2016. McBeth is also the well-known voice behind the microphone at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and will soon be heading away to the Winter Olympics in South Korea next month.