The 2018 Golden Oldies Open Fours Tournament in Palmerston North is getting close, and in keeping with its popularity has attracted  70 entries who will play over the three greens at the host club and two at Bowls Northern.

They'll be playing for the Keith McMurtrie Cup, donated just last year in 2017, recognising Life Member Keith McMurtrie’s contribution to Bowls Palmerston North over 46 years. His profile in the tournament programme recalls his past roles as not only a leading player, but as Club President, Manawatu Centre President and President of the former NZBA.

Bowls Palmerston North’s Golden Oldies Open Fours tournament clearly satisfied a demand when it was first played in 1985 with an entry of 90 teams and a waiting list. A minimum age of sixty was established and younger bowlers looked forward to the day when they could make their debut. The entry filled all three greens at the host club as well as two at the Terrace End club.

A popular feature from the outset was the format of the three and a half day ‘Golden Oldies’. Six games were played over the first two days, after which teams were divided on performance into five sections, where they then played a further five matches. There were no play-offs  and, after calculation of wins and points differentials, prize money was then paid to the first three placegetters in each of the five sections. That system has not changed since the tournament began, and survives today.

A feature of the early years of the event was the domination of teams skipped by two nationally recognised Bowls legends.

Dave Baldwin of Paritutu - possibly Taranaki’s  best ever bowler, a multiple national title winner, and Gold Medallist at the 1974 Commonwealth Games - skipped the winners in the inaugural 1985 event. In the following year it was the turn of Vic Sellars - a local star playing out of the Northern club. Vic had been a highly performed jockey nationally, and had represented New Zealand at the Johannesburg World Bowls Championships of 1976.

At the next opportunity Baldwin returned with an almost identical side to reclaim the title, only for Sellars to then reign supreme for three more seasons from 1988 through to 1990. Vic retained the identical line-up of his brother Neil Sellars, Morrie Adler and Ken Wood throughout.

In 1991 Baldwin took over again, winning with most of his original side. Incredibly, no Skip other than Sellars or Baldwin took the top prize in the first seven years of the Golden Oldies.

Winning sequences were still not finished though. In the next three seasons, Palmerston North stalwart Ray Dunn took out the tournament each time with the same side of Reg Sanson, Ron Eaton and Basil Parkinson.

Baldwin managed one last win three years later in 1997. Featuring in his teams over his four victories were noted Taranaki players Bruce Johns, Chas Candy, Bill Dombroski  and Toby Andrews.  

There hasn’t been another Skip to similarly dominate the honours board until the arrival on the scene of Central Levin’s Ian Mahoney - who repeated his 2011 win in the following year and topped the poll again in 2015.