The Composite team of Sue Burnand (Frankton Railway), Mandy Boyd (Johnsonville), Angela Boyd (Taradale) and Leanne Curry (Frankton Railway) was a convincing winner of the women's fours final at the New Zealand open bowls championships.
It beat the Canterbury four of Bev Morel, Norma Hutchinson, Yvonne Closey, and Theresa Woodham (Elmwood) 16-10 at the Taieri headquarters green yesterday.
The Elmwood combination led 7-6 after 10 of the 18 ends with Morel playing telling on shots to keep it in the game.
Burnand's team gave itself the name of Slam by using the first letters of their names, from oldest to the youngest.
"We know each other from indoor bowls and me and Angela have won a Pathways triples title together," Burnand said.
This is the second year that the team has played together. It lost at the quarterfinal stage last year to Barbara McGregor (United, Nelson), the team that won the title.
Burnand's four lived up to its name on the 11th end, when the skip played a scorcher and ran the jack into the ditch for two shots when they were four down on the head.
That was the turning point in the game.
"That's just the way I play," Burnand said.
"If you are down on the head, you have to be up. I like to be positive."
The Slam team took control of the game after this and scored a four, one and one on the next three ends to take a decisive 14-7 lead after 14 of the 18 ends.
The four on the 12th end came when Curry drew a toucher with her first lead bowl and added a second shot. Burnand took third shot and added the bonus with her second bowl.
It was team work that counted. Burnand, who was having a cracker of a game, drew the shot on the 13th end, Mandy Boyd drew a toucher on the 14th and Angela Boyd a toucher on the 16th end.
Boyd was the enforcer and would drive at the shot bowls when they were in trouble.
It was the first open national title for all members of the team.
It was especially pleasing for Burnand (50), a process worker from Hamilton, who has won five national indoor (small bowls) titles. She has won eight Waikato centre titles in 30 years of outdoor bowls.
"I'm pretty stoked for all of us," Burnand said.
Curry (41), a homeopathist, has won five Waikato outdoor titles and two national inter-centre titles for Waikato.
