It was worth waiting for. A Bowls Dunedin gold star gave Peter Barron a warm feeling.
Barron (54), a Dunedin painter, won his fifth centre title when he skipped the Wakari open triples team this month.
They beat Graeme Jeffery, Regan Larkin and Bobby Johnson (Anderson's Bay) 16-13.
The other members the Wakari team were Geoff Purdon, who won his sixth title, and Nigel Birkbeck, who collected his seventh.
"When I started the final, I didn't think too much about it," Barron said. "But it was special when I realised what I'd done, especially after 10 years."
Barron, a lefthander, started playing bowls 24 years ago and won his first centre title in the open fours in 1990.
His best results came in the 1994-95 season, when he won the open fours and the President's fours. His last centre title was in the champion of champions triples in 2001.
"My first title was special, especially in a strong centre like Dunedin," Barron said. "Getting five titles is a bonus."
The long gap of 10 years before Barron collected his gold star was understandable because he did not enter centre tournaments while his daughter Leah (18) was growing up.
Barron is the only bowler in the family but his wife Jan likes to come to the green and watch her husband play in big events.
His mother, Peggy Barron (nee Mills), played for New Zealand in junior netball and represented Otago at senior level.
Barron grew up in Dunedin and played cricket at Kaikorai Valley High School. He also played Golden Oldies rugby for the Kaikorai club.
But his main sport in his younger days was softball and he played 10 years for the Dodgers senior team.
The North East Valley Bowling Club won the Dunedin City Council's Keep Dunedin Beautiful best bowling club gardens award for large clubs. Portobello won the award for small clubs.
