The Dunedin men narrowly missed a spot in the finals of the intercentre sevens in Christchurch on Sunday.
The semifinal against Marlborough was tight. Dunedin won the fours 15-11 but the pair was beaten 22-10.
The result came down to the singles between Andre Smith (Marlborough) and Shaun Scott (Dunedin).
''Shaun was one down on the scoreboard but two up on the head on the final end,'' manager Jim Scott said.
Smith trailed the jack back with his third bowl and Shaun Scott was short with his draw shot.
Smith won 25-23 to put Marlborough into the final, in which it was beaten 2-1 by Taranaki.
The four of Mitchell Will, Andy McLean, Craig McCaw and Terry Scott was the only unbeaten Dunedin team in post-section.
It drew with South Otago's Blair Thomson, Bob Sanders, Neville Thomson and Bob McAuley 15-15 in the quarterfinals and beat Marlborough 15-11.
Shaun Scott was the most successful member of the Dunedin team and won four of his five games in section play and beat Robert Wilson (South Otago) 25-11 in the quarterfinals.
Wilson was the best of the South Otago men and won five of his six games in section play.
The South Otago four won four of its games in section play and drew with Dunedin in the quarterfinals.
Singles player Wynette McLachlan (South Otago) won four of her five games in section play and beat Black Jack Tayla Bruce (Canterbury) 20-17 in the quarterfinals.
South Otago lost the quarterfinal to Canterbury 2-1.
Sandra Keith skipped the winning Canterbury four and helped her team to a 2-1 win over Nelson in the women's final.
Manawatu beat Central Otago 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the women's event.
Linley O'Callaghan won four of her six games for Central Otago in section play and lost to Mere Fryer (Manawatu) 25-24 in the quarterfinal.
The Central Otago four of Lyn Somerville, Rhonda Hurley, Angela Wilson and Margaret O'Connor won four of its six games in section play.
Intercentre sevens
At a glance
Men's final: Taranaki beat Marlborough 2-1.
Women's final: Canterbury beat Nelson 2-1.
Otago performances: Dunedin men, semifinals; South Otago men, quarterfinals; Central Otago women, quarterfinals; South Otago women, quarterfinals.
Best Otago individual performance: Wynette McLachlan (South Otago).
