Colin Wheeler and Bruce Dunn should be put on the Dunedin bowls selectors' books after impressive performances over Labour Weekend.
The two North East Valley bowlers made a statement for higher honours by their performances in the Speight's sponsored invitation singles.
Wheeler won the plate final, when he comprehensibly beat former international Andrew Curtain (Canterbury) 21-11.
Dunn qualified for the main event for the first time and was narrowly beaten by new international Tony Grantham (Auckland) 25-21 in the first round of post-section play. Grantham collected the $5000 winner's purse.
Wheeler is a specialist lead and concentrates on draw bowls. He would be a dependable lead in the fours in the Dunedin Sevens team for the prestige inter-centre event.
"I like leading and concentrate on draw bowls," Wheeler said.
Dunn was accurate with his draw bowls during the invitation singles. He also had an accurate drive that he used when needed.
He would be a dependable second in the four.
The Bowls Dunedin selection panel of Bob Crawford, Darrell Cape, Daphne Hynes and Lorraine Turnbull will have an open book for the prestige mens inter-centre event.
The annual inter-centre Sevens started in 1970 and Dunedin has won the event on 12 occasions, more times than any other centre. The last time was in 2005.
But it has not been on the top of the podium for six years and in the last two years the Dunedin team failed to qualify for the national final. South Otago represented zone six two years ago and Southland qualified last year.
Last season's Dunedin team was Shaun Scott (singles); Nigel Wright, Craig McCaw (pairs); and Ken Walker, Alistair Keith, Dennis Leeden, Regan Larkin (fours).
A criticism of the team last year was that it did not have a specialist lead at the front of the four. It was a role that Ernie Andrews (Kaikorai) filled with distinction when Dunedin dominated the inter-centre event in the 1980s.
Dunn and Wheeler qualified for the North East Valley Invitation Singles in the trials that the club has to select four club players to contest the 32-strong invitation event.
There are no easy games and it is always hard for the club players to qualify for post-section play.
Dunn was competing for the sixth time since the event was started in 1990. It was the first time he had qualified for the main event.
In the seven-round section play Dunn won four games taking the scalps of Murray Glassey (Hawkes Bay) 21-7, Bill Clements (Central Otago) 21-9, national champion Shaun Scott (North East Valley) 21-16 and Bob McAuley (South Otago) 21-7.
Dunn put up a game fight before losing to Grantham in the quarterfinals. He trailed 19-10 after 17 ends but fought back gamely to close the gap.
Wheeler, who was competing against six internationals in what was dubbed "the section from hell", had three wins and qualified for the plate.
On the way he beat New Zealand representative Justin Goodwin (Auckland) 21-17, trounced Chris Lelievre (Auckland) 21-7 and beat former Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jim Scott (Dunedin) 21-15.
The Dunedin women's team of Sue Hodges (singles), Malia Ellison and Carolyn Webster (pairs) and Janet Swallow, Jenny Dhyberg, Mary Stevenson and Beth Brown (fours) finished runner-up to Waikato in the national final at Palmerston North two years ago.
