Grant's bowls tournament is bigger and better than ever!

Avid bowlers around the country are once again fighting to take out the title of New Zealand’s Corner to Corner Bowls Champion as the popular Grant’s Corner to Corner Tournament returns for the second year running.

Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky has joined forces once again with local bowling clubs from across New Zealand to bring a new angle to a traditional light-hearted bowling game.

Grant’s Whisky’s Brand Manager Jesper Poulsen says, “We’re really excited to bring the Grant’s Corner to Corner Tournament back for its second year. The competition proved to be so popular in its inaugural year that we have now seen the number of participating clubs grow from 84 to 151 and the number of regional finals grow from four to six!

“Our mission for the competition is to retain the relaxed spirit of Corner to Corner within the bowling community, whilst also providing a standard format to allow competition between players and clubs at a national level.

“The talent and sportsmanship we have seen in this year’s qualifying rounds has been outstanding and we can’t wait to see the best from each region play it out on the green for a place in the national final and their chance to win $3000 for their club.”

Most Kiwi bowlers will know of ‘corner to corner’ play as an informal game that is often played at the end of the day once official competition has finished. It offers players the opportunity to wind down from more serious play and have some fun.

As opposed to normal bowls games which are played end to end on a bowling green, Corner to Corner is played diagonally across the entire green from one corner to the opposite corner and uses no jack. The objective is to play the bowl as close to the corner of the green as possible.

Over the past three months, each of the 151 participating clubs in the Grant’s Corner to Corner Tournament has held 10 round robin matches to identify a club winner who will represent their club in the regional finals, to be held 18 – 26 March in Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch, Bay of Plenty/Waikato and North and South Auckland.

The national finalists from each region will then go head to head Friday 8 April at the national final at Pakuranga Bowling Club in Auckland, where they will compete for the grand prize of $3,000 cash for their club.

A celebrity charity match will also be played before the big national final match where $2,000 will be up for grabs and donated to a nominated charity.

Regional Final Events:

SOUTH AUCKLAND – FRIDAY 18TH MARCH 5.00pm
Hillsboro Bowling Club
Rain date: Saturday 19th March

WELLINGTON – FRIDAY 18TH MARCH 6.00pm
Wilton Bowling Club
Rain date: Saturday 19th March

DUNEDIN – FRIDAY 18TH MARCH 6.00pm
North East Valley Bowling Club
Rain date: Saturday 19th March

NORTH AUCKLAND – FRIDAY 25TH MARCH 6.00pm
Brown’s Bay Bowling Club
Rain date: Sunday 27th March

CHRISTCHURCH – FRIDAY 25TH MARCH 5.00pm
Burnside Bowling Club
Rain date: Sunday 27th March

BAY OF PLENTY/WAIKATO – SATURDAY 26TH MARCH 11.30am
Rewa Bowling Club, Matamata
Rain date: Sunday 27th March

National Final Event:

AUCKLAND – FRIDAY 8TH APRIL 6.00pm
Pakuranga Bowling Club
Rain date: Saturday 9th April, 6.00pm