There was a Dunedin flavour to the New Zealand champion of champions singles at the Dunedin Lawn Bowls Stadium at the weekend.
Jordan Keene and Sue Hodges, winners of the men’s and women’s titles, both have ties to Dunedin bowls.
They also proved that top-level bowls can be won by players at both ends of the age spectrum.
The champion of champions national title is arguably one of the toughest to win, with players needing to win their club title and their centre trophy before travelling to the national finals.
Keene, 19, who represented the Wellington centre playing out of the Stokes Valley club, grew up in Dunedin and left the city as a 5-year-old.
His mother, Shelley Keene, and late father, Alistair Keith, played bowls in Dunedin.
Keith, a talented bowler for Taieri, was a brother of Sandra Keith, who represented New Zealand.
Keene’s family have been to the fore in New Zealand indoor bowls, and he began playing indoor at the age of 7.
He is only a third-year bowler, and to win a national title at such an early stage of his career is extremely rare.
Hodges (62) has now won four national titles and 18 Dunedin centre titles, placing her sixth on the all time Dunedin list.
While in Dunedin, she played for the Waihola, Outram, Dunedin Business Women’s and Taieri clubs.
Hodges, who now plays for Tauranga, has also won 16 Bay of Plenty titles.
Both Dunedin representatives out of the Taieri club, Blair Barringer and Beth Brown, performed admirably at the tournament.
Brown was beaten by Hodges in the quarterfinals, and Barringer by Rory Soden in his quarterfinal.
The national champion of champions pairs will be held at the stadium this weekend.
Brent McEwan and Ross Stevens (St Clair), Hugh Catto and Mike Howard (Oamaru Phoenix), John Sutherland and Neville Thomson (Balclutha), Thomas Cockerill and Elliot Mason (Gore), and Peter Bain and Kelvin Jackson (Arrowtown) represent the southern hopes in the men’s tournament.
Women’s contenders include Barbara Archer and Jan Hall (Taieri), and Glenice Paisley and Sharon Segruhn (Invercargill).
