Down 8-1 after six ends to Nigel Birkbeck and Hugh Marshall (Kaikorai), the tide began to turn on the seventh end when they picked up three shots, courtesy of a sublime drive from Darby with his final bowl that turned a one-shot advantage to the Kaikorai pair into three scoring shots for North East Valley.
Darby, a finalist at the recent North East Valley Invitational, was in great touch but, until that stage, was being nullified by Birkbeck’s niggling line and length.
However, as he displayed in the Invitational, his cool head prevailed, and when he fired his final bowl of the seventh end down to drag the jack into the ditch, he picked up three, his previous two bowls added to the count as they were closest to where the jack landed in the ditch.
Darby was then a class act on the eighth end and ninth ends in his role as skip, complementing the pressure Stevens put on the head with superb draw shots to lock the game up at 8-8 at the midway stage of the 18-end encounter.
On their home track, any combination from Kaikorai is a tough ask and Birkbeck and Marshall were no different, when they picked up three on the 10th end to claim back the advantage.
The two combinations then went toe to toe over the next four ends, countering each other and limiting the scoring to singles.
Heading into the 15th end, Darby and Stevens were behind 13-10, but three brilliant bowls from Darby after an early scoring shot from Stevens on a crowded head had the North East Valley pair take the lead for the first time at 14-13.
Birkbeck and Marshall bounced back to lock the game up at 14-14 with two ends to play.
Early pressure from Kaikorai resulted in Stevens dragging the jack into the ditch to draw one shot.
Then, as Birkbeck’s bowls fell short, all three of Darby’s stopped on the edge of the ditch above the jack for four shots and a 18-14 lead heading into the final end.
Needing four shots to force an extra end, Darby and Stevens turned the screws to pressure Birkbeck and Marshall into error.
Birkbeck drew shot with his final bowl but Darby and Stevens picked up the title with an 18-15 victory.
For Darby, it was his fifth Dunedin Centre title, and Stevens his third.
"It was always going to be tough with Nigel on his home track," Darby said.
"They played pretty consistent and we were left struggling for that first third of the game. But we just had to hang in there. You can always pick them up as quick as you drop them. The trick is to stay composed."
Birkbeck was full of praise for his North East Valley opponents and complimented pairs partner Marshall.
"He’s just a fourth-year bowler and has played superb throughout the event," he said.
