Nick Unkovich

Nick Unkovich

Personal information
Birth name	Nikola Unkovich
Born	(1923-01-15)15 January 1923 Korčula, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (present-day Croatia)
Died	21 July 2005(2005-07-21) (aged 82) Auckland, New Zealand
Spouse	Joy Auld ​ (m. 1951)​
Sport
Country	New Zealand
Sport	Lawn bowls
Club	Matamata Bowling Club Okahu Bay Bowling Club Rawhiti Bowling Club
Medal record Representing  New Zealand Men's lawn bowls World Outdoor Championships 1980 Melbourne triples

Nikola Unkovich (15 January 1923 – 21 July 2005),[1] generally known as Nick Unkovich, was a New Zealand international lawn bowler.[2]

Early life and family

Unkovich was born in 1923 on the island of Korčula in present-day Croatia, and migrated to New Zealand with his parents in 1932, settling in Northland.[1] In 1951, he married Joy Auld in Auckland, and the couple went on to have two children.[1]

Bowls career

Unkovich started bowling at the Matamata Bowling Club, after moving to nearly Waharoa to establish a grocery business.[1] He played for the Okahu Bay Bowling Club in Auckland from the mid 1970s, and then the Rawhiti Club in Remuera in later years.[1]

He won a bronze medal in the triples at the 1980 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Melbourne.[3]

He won ten New Zealand National Bowls Championships titles, one singles (1979), one pairs (1991) with Ross Haresnape and eight fours titles between 1971 and 1986.[4]

References

1. Torbit, Matthew (28 July 2005). "Spirited bowler and master of sledging". Dominion Post. p. 7.
2. "Profile". Bowls tawa.
3. Newby, Donald (1991). Bowls Yearbook 91. Telegraph Publications. ISBN 0-330-31664-8.
4. "Bowls: Charismatic champion was also a great teacher". New Zealand Herald. 22 July 2005. Retrieved 14 April 2019.