An Oamaru team won the fours at the Blossom Festival Indoor Bowling Tournament for the first time since 1998 on Saturday, but for two of the team members the win was bittersweet.
While at the tournament in Alexandra, Paul and Louise Daley discovered via Facebook that there had been another crash outside their Orwell St home early on Sunday.
In August last year, a drink-driver failed to take a left-hand turn on to Orwell St from Humber St, smashed through a bedroom and came to rest in the lounge where Mr and Mrs Daley were watching TV.
Mrs Daley suffered broken ribs, a burnt hand from impact with the fireplace, and scrapes down her body.
Following the crash, an energy-absorbing tyre barrier was installed, as the intersection was identified as ''high risk'' by the Waitaki District Council.
The Daleys also put up a new fence at the front of their property, reinforced with both concrete and steel.
They were counting their blessings the tyre wall had stopped the vehicle crashing into their house, where their grandson and his partner had been staying on Saturday night.
The tyre wall had ''certainly'' proved its worth.
''Not only to us, but to a lot of other people in the town who were very critical of it,'' she said.
They would, however, like to see the Waitaki District Council take further steps to make the intersection safer.
Since traffic lights had been installed at the intersection of Ouse St and Thames Hwy, the volume of traffic along Orwell St had ''probably doubled'', she said.
The crash had been a ''bittersweet'' end to their weekend, but they were still buzzing about their win.
Mr and Mrs Daley, teamed with Mike Howard (skip) and John Brice, of Oamaru, went through the Blossom Festival Indoor Bowling Tournament unbeaten, winning the final 8-7 against a team of South Canterbury and Central Otago players.
It is the second Oamaru team to win the title in the competition's 55-year history.
The only other Oamaru team to win the fours did so in 1998.
The win was special for each of the team members for different reasons.
''Five years ago, Paul and I were in a team ... that came runner-up, so for us it was a big coup. We said we were going back to win it,'' Mrs Daley said.
For Mr Howard it topped off a successful year, as he had earlier been named North Otago Indoor Bowler of the Year, while Mr Brice was thrilled to win the first fours tournament he had entered.
It was the first time they had played together as a team, having played against each other for several years.
Mrs Daley said their win was a really great coup for Oamaru and North Otago indoor bowlers.
''It was an awesome tournament,'' she said.
