Sixty-six teams of four have entered a 48-hour bowlathon this weekend, to raise funds for the Southland Charity Hospital.

The event is one of several fundraising activities contributing to the cause promoted by the late Blair Vining and his widow Melissa.

The Waverley Bowling Club is hosting the event from 2pm on Friday.

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Club coach Ross Weir has been collecting entries and plans to play three two-hour games himself.

“We thought we’d get 48 entries, which would have filled one rink for the 48 hours. Each slot is two hours. But we actually ended up with 66 teams, which is really good,’’ Mr Weir said.

Teams are coming from all over the Bowling Southland region, including Tapanui, Tokonui, Te Anau, Gore and Orepuki.

The bowlathon is not a tournament. Instead, teams will be allocated a colour - green or orange – and points will be kept for an overall score at the end of play at 2pm on Sunday.

Mr Weir said the club’s goal was to raise about $7000.

The public was welcome to join in by buying a bowl and have a go at winning a prize by hitting a target on another rink.

The bowlathon will be under lights on the club’s covered green.

Mr Weir said he’d never known of an all-night bowls game in his 30 years playing the sport.

“I have never done anything like this before. One of my two hour slots is Saturday at 4am to 6am,’’ he said.

No-one has signed up to bowl 48 hours non-stop. Several have signed up for more than one two-hour slot while bowler Paul Dennison had put his name down to do five two-hour slots.

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Mr Weir said Harry Crosswell, a patron of Bowling Southland, came up with the idea, and there was a big team of club members helping organise the event.

The bowlathon will finish with a charity auction. Items include a netball signed by the Pulse team and a tee-shirt signed by the Emirates America’s Cup yachting team.

The charity hospital trust met its initial goal of $1 million by August but is continuing to raise as much as possible.

It has taken possession of the Clifton Club Inn building, consents have been approved and about 115 trade volunteers have signed up to help convert the building into the hospital.

Once completed, the hospital will at first provide colonoscopies to patients from Southland and Otago.

Services will be expanded over time. 

Other fundraising activities this year include the Pack the Park rugby match between two invitational teams is scheduled for October 17, and a Winton Rotary Dinner on November 11.

Go to the Bowlathon: The Waverley Bowling Club is on the corner of Exmouth and King streets, Invercargill. Starts 2pm Friday September 11, finishes 2pm Sunday September 13.