It is 30 years since Nick Unkovich (Auckland) won his 10th New Zealand championship title but he could be pushed off his top perch at Christchurch next month.
Unkovich added a bar to his national championship gold star in the fours in 1986. He now shares top spot with his old mate, Danny O'Connor (Auckland), and Gary Lawson (Eastbourne, Wellington).
O'Connor won four of his eight fours titles as third for Unkovich in the Okahu Bay team in 1975, 1979, 1981 and 1982.
He almost sneaked past Lawson last season when he won his 10th title in Richard Girvan's four in Auckland and was runner-up in the pairs.
Lawson won his first national title in the singles in 1989 and his 10th in the pairs with former Black Jack Dan Delany in 2010.
O'Connor and Lawson are members of strong pairs and fours teams and have a good chance of winning the elusive 11th and record title when the championships begin in Christchurch tomorrow.
O'Connor is again joined by former Black Jack Richard Girvan in the pairs while Lawson plays with current Black Jack Shannon McIlroy.
The other contenders in the pairs will be defending champions Peter Sain and Rob Ashton (Carlton-Cornwall), Mike Kernaghan (North East Valley) and Tony Grantham (Auckland), and Australian-based Black Jack Paul Girdler and Sean O'Neill (Timaru).
O'Connor is lead in the defending fours team with Girvan, Lance Tasker and former World Bowls champion Peter Belliss.
Lawson skips a fours combination rounded out by Black Jacks Kernaghan, Grantham and McIlroy while Girdler skips a four made up of Black Jack Michael Nagy, former Dunedin bowler Steve Beel and Australian Jordan King.
Girdler and Nagy were in the New Zealand triples and fours teams that won gold medals at this month's Asia-Pacific championships in Christchurch.
Kernaghan is the defending champion and hot favourite to win his fourth singles title. He also won in 2001 and 2002 and finished runner-up in the event at the Asia-Pacific eventOther contenders for the singles title include Lawson, three-time champion Ali Forsyth (Nelson) and Belliss.
World champion Kelsey Cottrell leads a nine-strong Australian invasion and is expected to dominate the women's events.
The 2012 World Bowls pairs champion won gold medals in the pairs and fours at the Asia-Pacific championships.
Australian coach Steve Glasson wants his squad members to get used to New Zealand greens before next year's World Bowls in Christchurch.
Leigh Griffin (Victoria) is the defending New Zealand singles champion and other contenders will be Commonwealth Games champion Jo Edwards (Nelson), Tayla Bruce - who will be playing on her home green at the Burnside Club - and four-time New Zealand champion Marie Watson (Nelson).
Former world champions Val Smith and Edwards (Nelson) will be matched by strong Australian combinations of Cottrell and Marilyn Clayton, and Stewart and Donna Clarke in the pairs.
Cottrell skips a strong fours team rounded out by Clayton and New Zealand internationals Amy McIlroy and Selina Goddard.
They will be matched against a Nelson team of Edwards, Smith, Watson and Australian Sharon Renshaw.
Other Otago players worth watching include double New Zealand singles champion Shaun Scott (North East Valley) and Andrew McCallum (Andersons Bay) in the singles, and Terry and Jim Scott (North East Valley) and Rodney Fleming and Ross Munro (Forbury Park) in the pairs.
The strongest Otago fours team is the Central Otago combination of Christine Buchanan, Debra Lloyd, Linley O'Callaghan and Margaret O'Connor.
Other prominent Otago women competing include Vicki Robinson and Sarah Scott (North East Valley), and 2014 national pairs champion Carolyn Crawford (St Clair).
NZ bowls championships
Players to watch
Gary Lawson (Eastbourne) and Danny O'Connor (Auckland): Both seeking a record 11th New Zealand open title.
Mike Kernaghan (North East Valley): Defending singles champion who has won the fours and singles in the last two years.
Kelsey Cottrell (Australia): Leads a nine-strong women's team acrossthe Tasman.
Marie Watson (Nelson): Has won four women's singles titles.
Peter Belliss (Wanganui): Defending his men's fours title.
Paul Girdler (Tweed Heads): Former Dunedin bowler, who skipped the NZ triple and four to gold medals at the Asia and Pacific championships.
