It took Sam Burton 36 years to win his first Bowls Dunedin title but his daughter Beth Brown won five titles and her gold star in just three years.
The West Harbour pair of Sam Burton and Mamanu Mamanu both won their first centre titles on Monday, when they beat the experienced Wakari combination of Geoff Purdon and Nigel Birkbeck 18-10 in the champion of champions pairs.
Brown was a member of the Taieri team, with Pam Walker and skip Judy Robertson, that won the women's champion of champions triples at the weekend when they beat Rebecca Jelly, Shona Mann and Abbey Dugdale (North East Valley) 24-5.
It was a remarkable performance by Burton who suffered a serious stroke last year and thought that it would be the end of his bowls career.
"I'm over the moon for Dad," Brown said.
"It is great to see him back and playing so well."
Burton (79) was a skilled indoor bowler before he started the outdoor game in 1975.
He has won eight indoor titles and was a member of the Otago Paterson Trophy team.
The highlight of his indoor career was to win the New Zealand husband and wife pairs with Tasma in 1978.
They were runner-up in the New Zealand pairs final the same year.
Burton had been runner-up in Bowls Dunedin events on five occasions.
"I didn't think I'd ever win one," he said.
"I got a bit of a kick out of it."
Tasma Burton (73), who has been playing outdoor bowls for 33 years, has represented the centre and won four Bowls Dunedin titles.
"It's great for Sam at his age," she said.
"He's been playing bowls for a long time."
Brown (51) wants to find a way to help her mother get the elusive fifth title and her gold star, but Tasma Burton does not think it is possible.
Work commitments prevented Brown from playing in centre events during most of her 18 years playing bowls but she made up for lost time over the last three years and won her five centre titles in that time.
It includes two this season.
Her rapid rise has been helped by being a member of the Professional Bowls Association and playing in PBA events at the Westpac Bowls Stadium.
"Playing with and against the men has helped me quell my nerves and given me confidence," Brown said.
Mamanu (49), a supervisor at Harbour Fish at Sawyers Bay, started playing bowls after ending his premier rugby career for Ravensbourne and Harbour in 1992.
He played more than 100 premier games and was a member of the Ravensbourne team that won promotion to premier ranks when it beat Eastern in 1984, under former All Black assistant coach Gordon Hunter.
He also played for Otago B.
"I've been been runner-up in six finals and its a relief to finally crack it," Mamanu said.
"It didn't sink in until we went back to our club rooms. It's good to finally crack the egg."
