Rain can't deter lawn bowlers descending on Taranaki for open fours

Hundreds of lawn bowlers have descended on Taranaki this week for the men's open fours competition - considered one of the largest and most prestigious club championships in the country. More than 180 teams - including five from Australia - have entered the event, which is being hosted at 10 clubs across the province. The Devon Hotel Taranaki Men's Open Fours has being going for 121 years and is one of New Zealand's oldest lawn bowl competitions. Bowls Taranaki president Grant Hassall said that was half its attraction. "Part of it is the history, the tradition of the event," he said. "There's been a lot of great players, of course, over those years that have taken part in it. "Taranaki has...