DRIVEN BY A DREAM

Van is aiming even higher after defending his Northern Cape crown

CONTRARY to popular assumption, lawn bowls is a sport that is not, as the old saying goes, “old man’s marbles” but in fact it is actively played by young men and women across the nation. Though it is not a sport that is frequently shown on television or featured in the media, it is very much alive and well.

Driaan van Niekerk, a lawn bowls player from Kimberley, is one such individual. The 26-yearold represents the Sol Plaatje West End Bowls Club and is well known in the bowling community.

Now, for the second consecutive year, Driaan has been named the Northern Cape Bowls Singles Champion. And now you might be wondering what the singles bowling championship is all about.

The Northern Cape is divided into four sub-districts, namely Kimberley, Interval, Kalahari, and Conroy, and depending on the number of entrants, each sub-district runs its own singles competition and the qualifying players move on to the Northern Cape championship. After the completion of the sub-districts, there are just 16 spots left in the Northern Cape singles competition.

The four best players from each district are then selected to go to the Northern Cape singles. However, because Kimberley has the most participants, six from Kimberley, four from Intervaal and Kalahari, and two from Conroy compete.

Then, at the competition, fourplayer pools are chosen where players compete in three games on Saturday. The winners of the four pools advance to the Sunday afternoon eliminations and then the final.

And that is the route Driaan took and conquered on his way to the title.

Asked how his interest in bowls was ignited, the young champion told the DFA that he first became interested in bowls after his mother took him to a social event over 12 years ago. There Driaan developed a liking for bowls. He rolled a few woods down the green and was bitten by the bug right away.

Driaan loves the game and enjoys keeping his skills honed. He says that if there isn't a competition over the weekend, he practises for roughly two days each week just to keep the rhythm going.

"I try to train at least three times during the week before we play if I know there is a tournament over the weekend. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I'll focus on the elements of my game that I believe require improvement, and on Fridays I'll go bowl for around 45 minutes to get my rhythm before the tournament starts.

When asked what, besides the competition aspect, kept him interested in the game, Driaan spoke candidly.

“Bowls taught me invaluable lessons about life. One of those lessons is how to deal with disappointments and resist the urge to give up too soon. During a competition, if anything doesn't go your way, simply get back up and try again.

“Being a part of the bowling community has allowed me to traverse the entire country and meet a great number of new individuals who have since become friends,” he added.

Van Niekerk claimed that he doesn't really have future plans for his career in bowls because it is not yet a professional sport in South Africa and one cannot support oneself no matter how passionate you are. But he says that he does have numerous goals that he would like to accomplish as he progresses.

One of those objectives is to eventually get his national colours and represent Bowls South Africa in the Springbok colours.

“My dream is that,” Van Niekerk said, and added that he believes that everyone should visit their neighbourhood bowls club and give the game a try; even just a few ends.

“Anyone may participate in this activity; there are no restrictions on age, gender, or physical capabilities. If you believe bowling is only for the elderly, you're in for a big surprise. That era has long since passed.

“The sport has had a meteoric rise in popularity in recent years, especially among younger age groups. It might be a serious sport for you or just something you do with friends to unwind during the weekend.”

So, by all appearances it appears that Driaan has chosen to play the sport seriously. To underline this fact, he has won the Northern Cape Singles Championship twice in a row and, based on the current situation, we could soon very well see him donning his green and gold blazer.