Tonga at the 2024 Oceania Challenge in Auckland. Photo: Max O’Byrne/New Zealand Bowls
Pasifika players were among those undefeated when the first day of the 2024 World Bowls Champion of Champions wrapped up at the Browns Bay Bowling Club in North Harbour on Tuesday.
As the first day of competition came to a close yesterday (Tuesday), a number of Pacific Island reps had gone through undefeated.
The list includes Tonga's Milika Nathan, Joy Peyroux of Niue and Cook Islands' Teokotai Jim in the women's singles competition.
Eighteen bowlers are unbeaten after the opening day, with players spread over three sections of men and women.
New Zealand Bowls said other unbeaten women from day one included Marianne Kuenzle (Switzerland), Gloria Ha (Hong Kong), Nayan Saikia (India), Laini McGorman (Australia), Anneke Scheepers (South Africa), Stef Branfield (England) and defending champion Anne Nunes (USA), who had just one game.
Niue's Peyroux leads the leader board with the full six points and egdes the second and third placed players with four set points.
Tonga's Nathan is third with two set points, behind Kuenzle of Switzerland.
In the men's first day, the only unbeaten Pacific Island player is Royden Aperau of the Cook Islands.
Aperau is currently second on the men's leader board with a set point of 2.50, behind leader, world number two ranked Izzat Shameer Dzulkepie of Malaysia
Other unbeaten players in the men's competition at the end of day one are Wales' Ross Owen (Wales), England's Lewis King, Putul Sonowal of India, Pat Bird from Canada, Australia's Lee Schraner and promising New Zealand bowler Aiden Takarua.
Tonga's Nicky Third had won one game and lost the second in his two matches on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old won both of his games after a morning bye on the first day of competition.
There are 29 men and 24 women from 30 countries competing over nine rounds of section play ahead of knockout rounds of quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
There were no upsets of any significance with local focus on Takarua who enjoyed two wins with a tight 1.5 to 0.5 win over Malta (6-4 5-5) but a dominant victory over Japan's Masahiro Kawamoto 12-3, 6-5.
"It has been a good start," Takarua said after his games.
"I did not quite get straight sets in the first game but that is okay because getting the results helped calm the nerves. The grass greens out here are a lot quicker that what we played on inside at the Oceania Challenge at the weekend. And it is definitely different with the conditions and the winds but I will try to play some good bowls.
"The adjustment to get on to these fast greens pleased me most - getting my line and sometimes also the weight. The key is to keep that lime, keep the focus with these short sets so you can't switch on and switch off but keep it going and hopefully the results will come."
There are three days of section play before elimination rounds, moving through to the finals on Saturday.
