Faye Cosgrove reached a significant milestone when she won her 10th Bowls Dunedin title and added a bar to her gold star yesterday.
The Green Island team of Margaret Hoad, Raylene Walshaw, Lyn Rance and Cosgrove beat Anne Muir, Ethel Little, Judy Tomkies and Margaret Malcolm (Port Chalmers) 16-14 in the fours final on the centre green.
The Green Island team advances to the regional final against the winning teams from South Canterbury, North Otago, Central Otago, South Otago and Southland at Dunedin in March.
Cosgrove (58), a nurse at Dunedin Hospital, has been playing bowls for 18 years and won her first title in the pairs with Zona Fleury in 1992, her fifth in 2001 and her ninth two years ago.
"It was my major goal for the season and I'm over the moon by the result," she said.
Cosgrove grew up on a sheep farm at Taumata, near Clinton, and sport has always been an important part of her life.
She has also won a New Zealand title in Patsy Jorgensen's Composite four at Tauranga in 2003. She is the 11th player in the history of Otago women's bowls to win 10 or more centre titles.
It was the 14th centre title for Rance, who needs only one more to add a second bar to her gold star.
It was the first title for Walshaw, a former Otago golf representative, who has been playing bowls for six years.
It was the second centre title for Hoad (nee Griffen), who first became keen on sport when she was a pupil at Macandrew Intermediate.
Hoad was an accurate lead who gave Green Island the foundation shots with her bowls close to the jack.
Walshaw played some telling shots and Rance was steady as a rock.
Green Island led 11-9 after 11 ends.
The 12th end was critical when Green Island gained three shots to take a five-shot advantage to lead 14-9.
Green Island was one down on the head when Cosgrove stepped up for her final bowl. But they had four second shots.
Cosgrove drove out the shot bowl to gain the decisive three shots. She only used the drive twice during the game.
Greg Cash won his 15th Bowls Dunedin title and added a second bar to his gold star when his North East Valley team advanced to the regional finals of the fours at his home green yesterday.
The North East Valley team of Colin Wheeler, Greg Cash, Jim Scott and Terry Scott beat the Fairfield combination of Bruce Malcolm, Andy McLean, Wayne Hewitt and Reece Aiken 20-11 in the final.
It was the 32nd centre title for Terry Scott, the 18th for Jim Scott and the third for Wheeler.
Scott, a newly appointed New Zealand selector, leads the Bowls Dunedin centre titles and is followed by former international Ken Walker with 30.
