Three east Aucklanders have been lining up pins and looking to strike friendly fear in their opponents at the recent 2024 Tenpin Bowling Asian Zone Championships.
Craig Newatt, Candice Cassel, and Suzanne Howell bowled into to Bangkok, Thailand, for the Asian champs that ran until September 25.
The New Zealand tenpin bowling team – known as the Katipo – was made up of six women and six men.
They were 12 international bowlers out of 216 representing 22 nations across the Asia continent, from the Middle East in the west, to China, Japan and Korea in the far east, and New Zealand and Australia from Downunder.
The three east Aucklanders are all ranked in the top 10 of New Zealand players.
The goal in Thailand, says Newatt, was “to secure a spot for New Zealand in the November 2025 IBF World Championships by beating out Australia and Guam in overall placement during the two weeks of competition”.
“There were five events including singles, doubles, trios and teams, all vying to score high enough in their squads to make the final Masters event where the overall winners were decided,” he says.
“For these athletes, tenpin bowling is more than just a game. It’s a test of skill, precision and dedication, all on an international stage.”
The Flat Bush resident, who plays out of Manukau, is a veteran Kiwi representative, having first bowled in this country’s colours in 1996.
Howell, of Pakuranga, has also bowled for New Zealand “multiple times”, says Newatt, while the Asia champs marked a Katipo debut for Cassel, of Bucklands Beach.
Newatt says, while New Zealand team members are all amateur but professional in their attitude to how they prepare for and compete at international tournaments, “a lot of the Asian athletes are full-time pros and certainly in Australia”.
He’s played tenpin bowling for 38 years and by his own admission he “wasn’t very good at team sports at school”.
The individualism of the sport has always suited him better, he says, the challenge to be precise in a very repetitive action game for which refining and adjusting technique is always present.
“Regarded by many as a casual fun night out with friends complete with greasy fingers and copious amounts of beer, tenpin bowling is one of the largest participation sports in the world, but for these competitors it is serious business,” Newatt says.
“You would be hard-pressed to find a competitive bowler who doesn’t own at least six different balls, each with different cover-stocks, weights and drill patterns, all of which are tailored to the individual bowler’s style and needs.
“The oil on the lanes changes as well, with different oil patterns being laid down by oiling machines, all which affect the way the ball will react as it goes down the lane.
“The ultimate aim is to get 12 strikes in a row, achieved by knocking down all 10 pins in one go, rather than leaving any on at the end of the lane and requiring a second shot,” he says.
“A perfect score is 300 and is coveted by all.”
