Former international Mike Kernaghan (Kaikorai) remains competitive on the bowling green. He proved this by winning the bowler of the year award last night.
Kernaghan was the top male bowler in the Bowls Dunedin awards and won the Stan Seear Trophy at the Taieri Bowling Club last night with 20 points.
He was followed by Kelvin Budge (Kaikorai) and Robbie Thomson (Fairfield) on 12 points, and Geoff Purdon (Wakari), Neill Scott (Caversham) and Terry Scott (North East Valley) on 10.
Lyn Rance (Green Island) was the top female bowler and won the Millie Khan Memorial Trophy with 26 points. She was followed by Carolyn Crawford (St Clair) on 18, and Sue Hodges (Outram), Janet Swallow (Taieri) and Carolyn West (Forbury Park) on 14.
Crawford won the pairs title at the national championships in Dunedin.
Kernaghan reached his peak when he won the bronze medal in the singles at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. He is third on the Bowls Dunedin list with 23 titles.
He added two more titles in the open triples and fours last season. He was also runner-up in the open triples and the champion of champions triples.
The highlight of his season was to be in the winning fours team at the national championships in Dunedin.
Rance won the open triples and open fours and has now won 19 Bowls Dunedin titles to be fourth on the Dunedin list.
She was also runner-up in the open singles and the champion of champions triples.
Bowls New Zealand silver awards for five or more titles went to Shaun Scott (North East Valley), Terry Scott (North East Valley), Robbie Thomson (Fairfield) and Ken Walker (Taieri).
Milestones were reached by three bowlers who added bars to their gold stars.
Terry Scott (North East Valley) won the open fours to add a sixth bar to his gold star and win his 35th title.
Carolyn Crawford (St Clair) won the champion of champions singles and the open fours to add a third bar to her gold star and gain her 21st title.
Sue Hodges (Outram) won the one singles to add a second bar to her gold star and gain her 15th title.
Bowlers who gained their first gold star last season were Kelvin Budge (Kaikorai), Margaret Hoad (Green Island), Carolyn West (Forbury Park) and Steve Wilson (Kaikorai).
The Fairfield team of Roger Barron, Robbie Thomson and Blair Barringer won men's national club triples title.
The Wakari pairs team of Kieran Fleury and Nigel Birkbeck won the men's national pairs title.
In interclub events, Andersons Bay won the Saturday morning sevens, Kaikorai the Holmes Feathers.
