Cook Islands Bowls is extremely proud of national reps Royden Aperau and Tai Jim who were ranked in the top 10 at the 2024 World Singles Champion of Champions tournament that was hosted at Browns Bay, Auckland, New Zealand, late last month.

Thirty-one nations from around the world competed for a world title in the men’s and women’s singles at the 2024 World Champion of Champions. 

To qualify for the World Bowls Champion of Champions event, the player must have won their club championship and clinched the country’s overall champion of champion title.

Browns Bay Bowling Club hosted this prestigious international event from November 26 to 30 with 29 men and 24 women competing at one of the premier clubs in North Harbour, which celebrated its 80^th anniversary in 2023. 

Aperau played nine games and won against Turkey, Sweden, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Namibia, Hong Kong and lost against Tonga, Malaysia and Wales.

It was a deciding game on the second last day against Wales in which Aperau went down and missed out the quarter final playoff. This placed him ninth in the 2024 World Men’s Singles Bowls Champion of Champion

Jim played eight games and won against Thailand, Falkland, Cyprus and India. She went down to NZ, Australia, Hong Kong and Tonga.

Jim was placed third in her section and that qualified her to the playoff on the final day however she went down to the eventual winner, the 2024 World Champion of Champion, Tonga. She was ranked eighth in the 2024 Women’s Singles Bowls Champion of Champion.

Cook Islands Bowls’ Anthony Turua said: “Overall the Bowls Cook Islands members are so proud of their achievements and are looking forward to the next international events to sustain our standards at the next Commonwealth Games in 2026.”

This week, Adoni Rairoa will be representing the Cook Islands at the 2024 World Bowls Junior Indoor Championship Men’s Singles in Hong Kong, managed by Papatua Papatua and Adoni’s mother Mere Rairoa.

Already, the Cook Islands community living in Hong Kong have welcomed the Cook Islands delegation into their community – “thank you to Janice Nicholas for hosting the team”.

“Again, this tournament will have representatives from around the world,” Turua said.

Meanwhile, on the local scene the 2024 National Triples Championship will be hosted at the Rarotonga Bowling Club.

“All the best to everyone as we come to the end of the last tournament for the year 2024.”