Nigel Birkbeck (Wakari) has the magic touch. He just keeps on winning.
He added to his collection on Saturday when he and his pairs partner, Kieran Fleury, won the zone 6 tournament to qualify for the national final in Invercargill in May.
They won four of their five games to end the competition with eight points. They were followed by Tony Cook and Blair Thomson (Balclutha) on six, and Stuart Dickson and Bruce Ross (Waikiwi, Southland) and James Kane and Alan Wilkinson (Kia Toa, South Canterbury) third-equal on four.
Birkbeck (48), the owner of BJB Securities, started playing bowls as a 15-year-old at Otago Boys' High School. He had won five Bowls Dunedin titles when he took a break from the sport in 2002. It was a rejuvenated Birkbeck who returned to it three years ago.
He has added three more centre titles and the Dunedin Festival Fours and is now in the Pathways national final.
Fleury (37), a shredder of records, started playing bowls 17 years ago and has won two Bowls Dunedin titles.
''Winning this event is good for us and for the club,'' he said.
''It will help us realise our potential in the sport.''
They won their two games on Friday and the crucial third game on Saturday against Balclutha, which was also unbeaten on the first day. The score was 23-15.
Balclutha led 10-7 after 10 of the 18 ends before Wakari took the lead back by scoring six shots on the next three ends to lead 13-10.
Birkbeck and Fleury took complete control when they scored 10 shots from the 14th to the 17th ends to lead 23-11. They conceded four shots on the last end, but it was too late for Balclutha.
Wakari's hardest game was in the fourth round when they narrowly beat the Alexandra combination of Trevor Ludlow and Bill Clements 18-17.
The Balfour pair of Averil Fowler and Sue Kincaid won the women's competition to advance to the national final.
They remained unbeaten with four wins and scored eight points and were followed by Sylvie Malvern and Marilyn Paterson (South Otago Town and Country) on four and the South Canterbury pair of Marion Patrick and Kate Rae (Geraldine) on three.
Balfour beat Geraldine 25-11, Taieri 19-17, Central Otago 15-12 and South Otago 19-12.
Its hardest game was against the Taieri pair of Jan Barclay and Lorraine Turnbull. Taieri led 16-14 after 15 ends but Balfour gained a single and four on the next two ends to win the game.
The triples competition finishes at the Taieri greens today.
