Kaitangata is an old South Otago coal mining town noted for producing All Blacks and other top rugby players.

It added a new sport to its list yesterday, when its men's bowls team qualified for the national interclub final.

Kaitangata (South Otago) won the zone 6 national division 1 event at the Taieri Bowling Club yesterday with 20 points, followed by Kia Toa (South Canterbury) on 18 and Wakari (Dunedin) on 17.

It is the first time the small men's club of 16 players has reached the national final.

''I'm stoked that we won, especially with our small membership,'' singles player Graeme Hislop said.

Hislop (36) played a key role when he won his five singles games.

His toughest opponent was Alexandra singles player Pat Houlahan, whom he beat 25-21 after a tight game.

Hislop started playing bowls as a 14-year-old and has won 16 South Otago titles.

The other Kaitangata players to go through the five games unbeaten were the pair of Peter Brooks and Bob McAuley.

Their most important win came in the first game, against Alan Wilkinson and James Kane (Kia Toa) 27-8. The big win gave Kaitangata an important advantage in points differential. After four of the five rounds, Kaitangata and Kia Toa both had 16 points but the South Otago club had a differential of plus 57 compared to Kai Toa's plus four.

In the final round, Kaitangata won the singles and pairs but singles player Richard Kerr was the only Kia Toa player to win.

McAuley, a financial adviser, represented South Otago at golf before starting bowls 20 years ago. He has won 13 South Otago bowls titles.

Brooks, a self-employed builder, came south from Wellington three years ago. He has won centre titles in Hawkes Bay and Taranaki and is a New Zealand indoor bowls representative.

The fours team of Stu Uren, Bill Marshall, Mark Twaddle and Neville Twaddle lost all five games but was not disgraced. Two of the games were lost by one point and the margin was just two shots in another two games.

The experienced Wynette McLachlan won her five singles game and was the star of the Clinton-Lawrence team that won the women's division one event.

Clinton-Lawrence won with 20 points from Alexandra on 16 (minus 14) and North East Valley 16 (minus 16) in the tournament at Balclutha,.

The other members of the Clinton-Lawrence team were Rose Stephenson and Glenys Bell (pairs) and the four of Nola Anderson, Avis Rishworth, Margaret Halder and Eileen Grant.

The Dunedin club of Fairfield won the men's division 2 competition with 24 points from Northend (Southland) 22 and Meadowbank (North Otago) 14.

The women's division two competition was won by Andersons Bay with 10 points from Alexandra and Waikiwi (Southland), both on four points.