The Te Rangi Bowling Club’s women’s fours team have overcome a nine-shot deficit to become national champion of champions.

About half way through the match and 11 to 2 down it was not looking promising for skip Lynda Milne, Kerry Heffer, Karen Thomas and Emma Hanley in the Bowls New Zealand final in Hastings against Elmwood Park of Christchurch.  

However, within the space of three ends the team had scored 11 shots to be up 13 to 11.

Milne said when the team was down by nine shots she was wondering about the end result.

“I was thinking, oh, my goodness me, how big of an embarrassment is this going to be?”

Four ends later and the fortunes of the game appeared to have changed and Te Rangi were ahead 14 to 11.

Elmwood’s three-shot win on end 11 put paid to that and the Cantabrians seemed to have end 12 sown up also.

The jack was in the ditch and Elmwood had the three closest bowls to it.

It looked like Elmwood would take the end to draw ahead 17 to 14.

On the last bowl of end 12 Milne managed to swing her shot closer to the jack to take the end 15 to 14.

While it was her role as a skip to place a bowl to give her team the advantage, it was not a given she would be successful, Milne said.

“At the time, you just go, foof,   I've done it, and [am] really happy.”

After the game some spectators told her that was the turning point in the game.

“If we'd have dropped another three then, it probably would have been over.”

After end 13 Te Rangi were ahead by two shots but Elmwood whittled that down so the score was tied 16-all at the finish of the scheduled 15-end match.

An extra end was played and Te Rangi emerged the victors.

Winning the tournament was always a possibility but the southerners had been up against some very good players.

“You just don't know what they're going to produce or yourself on the day during the game.”

The team were “absolutely stoked” to be the national champions and had worked hard for the win.

“We worked as a team and we were quite determined that we wanted to come home with a medal.”

Hanley also plays for the Gore RSA Bowling Club and Thomas for the Ōtātara club.  

The win was even more special after the Waihopai men’s fours team won the national champion of champions title the week before.

Southland clubs were often competing against those that were much stronger, she said. 

“We've achieved a hell of a lot.”