Jenny Cowan enhanced her family’s record in indoor bowls when she qualified for the national finals of the mixed fours for the second time.
She was lead in the Otago team that was unbeaten when it won its three games at the Southern zone regional finals in Dunedin at the weekend.
The other team members were Lyn Rance, David Webb and Daniel French.
The Dunedin-based Otago team beat Southland 9-4, Central Otago 11-4 and South Otago 12-7.
Cowan has played indoor bowls for the last 30 years, won 14 Otago titles and represented the South Island.
Her son Mark played for New Zealand and won 18 Otago titles. Brother-in-law Craig has won nine Otago titles.
The most successful family member is her husband Bob (74), who has played the sport for 48 years. He has won 23 Otago titles and was runner-up in the New Zealand championships twice.
This was also the second time that Rance had qualified for the national final in the mixed fours. She is the top woman in Otago with 19 centre titles.
The steady hand in the Otago four was Dunedin accountant David Webb who started the sport at Alexandra and has won five Otago titles.
These three put the bowls in place and it allowed New Zealand representative Daniel French to weave his magic.
This was especially needed against the strong Southland four of Gary, Graham and Jan Low and Jennifer Beattie that was expected to win the event.
French was on fire on the eighth end and drew a toucher to have five bowls on the head. A Gary Low weighted shot reduced the count by three but the two points stretched Otago’s lead to six shots before the final end.
Otago was untroubled and went on to win its last two games and finished the round-robin competition with six points and was followed by Southland 4, South Otago 2 and Central Otago nil.
The Southland husband-and-wife team of Graham and Jan Low dominated the mixed pairs by beating South Otago 8-6, Otago 9-6 and Central Otago 12-9.
They finished with six points and were followed by Lyn Rance and Max Grey (Otago) 4, Eileen and David Grant (South Otago) 2 and Kevin and Gloria Hurley (Central Otago) nil.
The eight zone winners in mixed fours and pairs will contest the national final at Upper Hutt on September 16 and 17.
