After more than three decades, the iconic North East Valley Speight's 10,000 Singles will no longer feature on the calendar, instead making way for a premier mixed pairs event with a lucrative prize pool of $20,000.
First held in 1990, the singles event, based in Dunedin, has been an annual drawcard for some of the best bowlers throughout New Zealand and Australia, with the honours' board reading a who's who of bowls.
However, in recent years, the organising committee has seen an evident drop in the overall quality of the field - with many Australian-based internationals and overseas competitors struggling to commit to the four-day premier showpiece, or running up against scheduling clashes. The same has also been true when it comes to New Zealand's best performers, with many now balancing family life, back-to-back high profile events and time away from home proving to have too much of an impact on the sustainability of the tournament.
Alongside the singles event, the Valley has also played host to the Ladies Pairs since 2012, with many of the country's best female performers joining together for their shot at the coveted silverware. Though with the running of both tournaments comes the added pressure to club volunteers, committee members and all involved - prompting a major rethink to future proof the club's status.
Therefore, the decision has been made to shelve both events, and instead put energy, resource and volunteer spirit into hosting a premier 2x4x2 Mixed Pairs over Labour Weekend. This event will see 24 pairs contest a prize pool of $20,000, with play commencing on Saturday 21 October and Finals Day concluding on Monday 23 October.
Speaking to the significant change, North East Valley club manager Terry Scott says while it was an extremely difficult decision to make, the club committee were in positive spirits about the future of attracting the country's best to the Valley.
"I have been on the organising committee for both of these tournaments since their inception, and while it's certainly sad to see them go after such a long history, if our club wishes to maintain its standing in presenting a quality New Zealand event, we must move on," Scott said.
"It's the end of an era, but the start of a new one."
Scott pointed to the recent success and interest in the Bowls New Zealand National Mixed Pairs (previously held in Central Otago in 2023 and 2021), with the number of entries clearly indicating an appetite for this tournament format.
"While the club has prided itself in presenting two quality premier events within a two week window, this places considerable pressure on those involved and we needed to look at how we can manage this better moving forward.
"One of our key objectives when we set these tournaments up was to help develop our club bowlers to perform better, and by the results that the club has achieved over recent seasons, this has been evident. However, our club now wants to take the opportunity to recognise the diversity that this event can display, to not only bowling participants, but to our sponsors and the public in general," Scott added.
Echoing Scott’s sentiments, Bowls New Zealand chief executive Mark Cameron said the singles event had served as a fantastic showcase for the sport over many years.
“For a long time, the singles event has been the premier singles event within New Zealand and has attracted the biggest names in bowls to Dunedin,” Cameron said.
“The North East Valley club should rightly be proud of this event, and the ladies pairs, and its overall contribution to our game. On a positive note, the new $20k Mixed Pairs event will be a great success and is a welcome addition to the bowls calendar.”
The new event will feature on the Bowls New Zealand Summer of Bowls calendar, with more details and the inaugural field likely to be revealed by the club in the coming months.
-Sam Morton
