Bowls Northland
Before the inception of the Centre, Whangarei was affiliated to the Auckland Bowling Association and visits between Auckland clubs and vice versa were enjoyed.
Other early clubs in Northland were Hikurangi, Waipu, Dargaville, Paparoa, Maungaturoto, Kensington, Kawakawa, Portland and Hokianga. These clubs developed regular competition between each other on the basis of challenge and defend.
On 24 June 1926, representatives of eight clubs met in the office of Mr T.H. Steadman in Whangarei and agreed to form the North Auckland Bowling Centre.
The first official meeting of delegates was held on 24 November that year, where the meeting elected Mr D.J. Meikle as its chairman. The formal meeting to elect a President was held on 12 March 1927 where Mr F.J. Dargaville was elected. Ten of the regions 14 clubs attended with the major topics debated being the allocation of tournament dates and club colours - seven clubs requested the use of blue and gold.
The Centre’s first meeting in the Whangarei Bowling Club pavilion was in 1939 but it wasn't used as the official headquarters of the Centre until 1950. In the 1944-45 season the NABC elected WBC member, Mr J.H. Marwick as its first Dominion Councillor. In 1945 the Centre elected to drop the Auckland tag from its name and became the Northland Bowling Centre, perhaps the first sports body in the north to do so. In 1950 the Centre adopted bottle green as its colours with gold and red trim.
Today, the combined Mens' and Womens' Centre, Bowls Northland has its headquarters at the Whangarei Bowling Club.
A few of the Cups played for by the early Clubs, left to right:
Swann Challenge Cup, presented by Mr Edward Swann of Hikurangi in 1916; R.V. Challenge Cup, presented by Alex Harvey and Sons Ltd of Auckland in 1926; White Challenge Cup, donated by F.J. White of Whangarei in 1921; Challenge Cup, presented by G.N. Hayes of Dargaville in 1921.
Men's Centre Honours
Presidents
1928-29 D.J. Meikle
1929-30 T.H. Wilson
1930-31 W.C. Coote
1931-32 Jas Donaldson
1932-33 T.H. Steadman
1933-37 T.H. Wilson
1938-40 B.R. Miller
1941-42 J.H. Marwick
1946-47 E. Wooledge
1947-48 G.W. Wilding
1949-50 F.R. Webster
1954-55 R.S.F. Williams
1962-63 J.J.G. Ashcroft
1972-73 G.P. Adams
1992-93 N.G. Hudson
1999-00 G.M. Wardell
2016-18 T.G. Reader
Life Members
1960 G.W. Wilding
1988 H.W. Neal
Dominion Councillors
1947-51 J.H. Marwick
1960-66 R.S.F. Williams
Centre Blazers
1993 D.J. Holwell
1996 H.W. Neal
Gold Star Holders
1981 M. Kaire
1982 D.J. Holwell
1983 H.W. Neal
1987 J.B. Wilson
1998 T.O. Chapman
2004 M.G. Houlahan
2008 J.A. Jamieson
2008 S. Prasad
2013 T.G. Reader
2016 S. Smith
Junior Pairs
1988 J.P. Norman, T.O. Chapman
2018 P. Shotter, P.A. Price
2019 P. Shotter, P.A. Price
Open Pairs
1949 E.T. Dennis, L. Morton
1963 A.A. Chaston, J.R. Leese
1976 M. Kaire, J.B. Wilson
1979 M. Kaire, J.B. Wilson
1998 J.A. Jamieson, T.O. Chapman
1999 J.A. Jamieson, T.O. Chapman
2012 J.A. Jamieson, T.G. Reader
2016 S. Smith, T.G. Reader
2018 S. Smith, T.G. Reader
C of C Pairs
1942 A.L. Lambess, M.F.M. Whitelaw
1949 E. Macnay, J. Roos
1951 G.O. Hales, R.S. James
1974 J.B. Wilson, M. Kaire
2002 F.W. Kirk, T.O. Chapman
2019 D.A. Hood, D.R. Hood
2021 D.A. Hood, D.R. Hood
Open Triples
2010 G.M. Wardell, P. Graham, G. Herbert
2016 G. Fraser, S. Smith, T.G. Reader
2020 D.A. Hood, L. Vallance, D. Brewster
C of C Triples
1996 L.S. Reader, J.A. Jamieson, T.O. Chapman
1999 R. Arbon, M.G. Houlahan, T.O. Chapman
2006 P.M.W. Yovich, H.S. Smith, T.O. Chapman
2008 S. Prasad, J.A. Jamieson, T.O. Chapman
2009 S. Prasad, J.A. Jamieson, T.O. Chapman
2018 G. Fraser, S. Smith, T.G. Reader
C of C First Year Singles
1965 E.A. Watt
1970 R.R. Wilson
1972 T.M. Fleming
1973 M. Jellick
1986 F.B. Robinson
1999 C.J. van Haaften
2000 A.J. van Haaften
2004 P.M.W. Yovich
2018 R. Hayman
2019 J.G. Heasley
C of C Singles
1928 R.H. Allan
1936 J.A. Clark
1940 E.R. Wooledge
1953 J. Roos
1959 S.D.F. Budge
1961 S.D.F. Budge
1962 A.A. Chaston
1969 J.R. Leese
1973 D.J. Holwell
1979 J.B. Wilson
Open Singles
1951 A.L. Lambess
1955 H.D. Ashcroft
1962 H.D. Ashcroft
1967 J.R. Leese
1970 H.A. Compton
1973 W. Howie
1978 J.S. Burke
1986 P.C. Huxtable
1987 J.H. Hall
1990 D.J. Holwell
2001 T.G. Reader
2014 T.G. Reader
2018 T.G. Reader
Junior Singles
1990 F.B. Robinson
1997 T.G. Reader
2005 H.S. Smith
2018 P. Shotter
First Year Singles
Cup presented by G.W. Wilding 1959.
Dargaville Cup for Open Singles Competition presented by Percy
Hill in 1951.
Intermediate Fours
1957 M.A. Edge, H. McGregor, C. Benfell, J.R. Angelo
1959 W. Board, R. Pickering, J. O’Keefe, P.J. Wilson
1961 L.W. Slater, H.R. Ovens, W.T. Houghton, M. McMahon
Junior Fours
2004 P.M.W. Yovich, A.J. van Haaften, B. Taylor, C.J. van Haaften
Centre Shield
1958 T.E. Gillibrand, A.L. Lambess, S.D.F. Budge, H.D. Ashcroft
Open Fours
1962 A.A. Chaston, S.D.F. Budge, T.E. Gillibrand, H.V. Reed
1963 R.C. Leese, J. McKinnon, F. Breckon, H.D. Ashcroft
1965 R.C. Leese, F. Breckon, J.R. Leese, H.D. Ashcroft
1970 J. Alison, L.C. Dudeck, R.G. Russell, H.A. Compton
1981 H.W. Neal, L.C. Dudeck, M. Kaire, D.J. Holwell
1982 H.W. Neal, P.C. Huxtable, M. Kaire, D.J. Holwell
1983 H.W. Neal, P.C. Huxtable, M. Kaire, D.J. Holwell
1987 J.P. Norman, M.R. Williams, G.R. Whitham, P.J. Nicholson
1988 L.W. Slater, W.G. Hughes, J.A. Jamieson, J.B. Wilson
2000 D.F. Cains, D.W. Chapman, D.J. Holwell, M.G. Houlahan
2003 W.C. Taylor, T.G. Reader, D.J. Holwell, T.O. Chapman
2004 B. Taylor, E.C. Horgan, J.P. van Haaften, C.J. van Haaften
2012 L.S. Reader, P. Graham, S. Smith, K.J. Fitness
2013 S. Smith, L.S. Reader, K.J. Fitness, T.G. Reader
2018 G. Fraser, C. Claridge, S. Smith, T.G. Reader
2020. D. Young, L. Vallance, D.A. Hood, D. Brewster
C of C Fours
1980 R.W. Stewart, T.M. Fleming, W. Howie, D.J. Holwell
1987 T.O. Chapman, L.C. Dudeck, P.C. Huxtable, W.G. Hughes
1992 F.B. Robinson, L.C. Dudeck, P.R. Edge, W.G. Hughes
1995 H.W. Neal, D.H. White, M.G. Houlahan, T.O. Chapman
2003 C.A. Rawle, J.B. Wilson, M.G. Houlahan, J.P. van Haaften
2004 C.A. Rawle, M.G. Houlahan, J.P. van Haaften, T.O. Chapman
2009 S. Prasad, M.G. Houlahan, J.A. Jamieson, T.O. Chapman
2014 L.S. Reader, S. Smith, L.G. Richmond, T.G. Reader
2019 P. Shotter, S. Smith, P.A. Price, T.G. Reader *
2020 S. Smith, P. Shotter, P.A. Price, T.G. Reader
* New Zealand Champion of Champion
Women's Centre Honours
Presidents
2000 L.A. Field
First Year Singles
1988 I. Moore
1992 G. Carter
1993 J. Botica
2017 B.K. Roberts
Open Singles
1994 E. Powdrill
Gold Star Holders
1994 E. Powdrill
1997 V. Chapman
Open Pairs
1992 V. Chapman, E. Powdrill
1994 V. Chapman, E. Powdrill
C of C Pairs
1989 C. Pentecost, E. Edgar
1993 V. Chapman, E. Powdrill
1995 V. Chapman, E. Powdrill
Open Triples
1991 S. Langman, B. Scott, F. Moore
1993 D. Edge, M. Berridge, E. Edgar
2003 E. van Haaften, A.M. Church, N. Bradshaw
Open Fours
2019 M.G. Brewster, L.M. Jones, P.J. Reader, A. Bateman
C of C Fours
2016 C. Budge, L.M. Jones, S. Lauder, L.J. Mills