“Bowls is the unifying sport”

Proteas Bobby Donnelly and Neil Burkett with Team Dedekind

The power of sport and in particular bowls to bring about unity and togetherness was on full display during the opening day of the 2024 BSA Men’s Nationals in Johannesburg.

For many in the field - one of the largest in recent times - there would’ve been a fair amount of nerves. Some are experiencing this level of competition for the first time, some were playing against Proteas, others were trying to ensure a good start as they look to build their bowls CV and many other storylines were in play.

But for Nicholas Dedekind, it was mainly about the experience.

Well, that’s at least how bowls started for the visually impaired bowler playing out of Wingate Park.

“I only started playing bowls two years ago, so I’m still a novice.” says Dedekind.

“I started playing at Wingate Park with my dad. It was a nice way of spending time with him and I thought I would give it a go.

“He said that I can play bowls and it won’t be a problem despite my visual impairment. So we tried it out.

“So I started with no real ambitions but then the game kind of let out my competitive spirit. My dad encouraged me to enter into the disabled bowls and that was a nice introduction and I liked being able to compete against people similar to me.

“I use a system that my dad and I practise and it’s great to be able to do this.”

Dedekind has made it the quarter-finals of the Bowls Gauteng North novice singles and is showing a lot of promise. He has also made the BSA Invitational side for the upcoming International Bowls for the Disabled World Championship to be held in Ekhurleni later in May.

And what better way to test his progress than in the pairs during the BSA Men’s Nationals.

Game 3 of the section saw Dedekind and his father, Friedel, come up against Neil Burkett and Bobby Donnelly - both decorated Proteas and a team with intentions of going far in the competition. One wonders if the younger Dedekind was aware of the opponent’s CVs which are as long as anyone’s in the game today. Now in his 70s, Burkett was a bronze medalist in the Open singles two years ago and a recent winner of the Western Province Mixed Pairs - which only goes to show age is only a number in the game of bowls.

All that counted for little because the action was played on grass. In a fiercely contested match, it wasn’t the Proteas who prevailed 17-16 but rather the father and son combination.

That ended Burkett/Donnelly’s perfect run so far and threw section 50 wide open.

“What I love about bowls is that even in light of my disability I can play well and competitively against the best. Like today … playing against two Proteas and winning. Bowls gives me the chance to do this. To play against able-bodied with a director,” add Dedekind.

Nicholas Dedekind has flown up the ranks.

Dedekind sums it up best, when he said: “Bowls really is the unifying sport. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what gender you are, if you have a disability or not … anyone can be competitive if you play with the right spirt.”

He is really enjoying the opportunity to play in the national championships.

“Playing against the best, gets the best out of me. You want to impress and do the best you can and you know, cause and upset. I love playing against the best and it’s the best environment for me. It really helps to lift my game to the place where I’m trying to get it to be.”

Father and Son combination - Nick and Friedel