Former international Jim Scott gained his 19th Bowls Dunedin title when he skipped North East Valley to a comfortable win in the champion of champions triples yesterday.
The team of Scott, Greg Cash, and Shaun Scott beat Nigel Birkbeck, Dave Morris and Bruce Malcolm (Port Chalmers) 22-9 at the Taieri green.
Jim Scott, who has won silver medals at the Commonwealth Games and World Bowls, had won eight centre titles before joining the Dunedin centre 18 years ago.
He started his bowls in Cromwell and won two Central Otago titles, one for both the West Coast and Hawkes Bay and four in North Otago.
Scott, the Bowls New Zealand co-ordinator for zone six (South Canterbury to Southland), has won two titles this year and now ranks fifth on the Bowls Dunedin table behind Terry Scott (North East Valley) 32, Ken Walker (Fairfield) 30, Stewart McConnell (Kaikorai) 21, Mike Kernaghan (North East Valley) 20.
Cash also won two titles this season and now has 16 centre titles.
It was Shaun Scott's sixth Bowls Dunedin title.
North East Valley played steadily and concentrated on putting many bowls around the head to create opportunities for themselves.
"When we had to play weighted shots there were always bowls to play through," Jim Scott said.
North East Valley started briskly by scoring two, one, three and four to lead 10-0 after four ends.
Malcolm's team was forced to play catch-up bowls - a difficult task against such an experienced team.
A five on the 10th end virtually sealed the game North East Valley took a 19-4 lead.
The game ended when Scott's team scored a three on the 14th end.
