Graham and Jan Low got the better of their younger Otago opponents and played a key role in Southland's Paterson Trophy win at the weekend.
Southland won the zone six event in Alexandra to qualify for the Welch Trophy in Hamilton from September 1-3.
Southland, on 125.5 points, was followed by Otago (Dunedin) 104.5, South Canterbury 95.5, South Otago 73.5, North Otago 55 and Central Otago 44.
Otago led by 1.5 points after the first of the five sessions and was only 10 points behind Southland before the fifth and final session.
The top-ranked bowlers in the event were the 66-year-old husband and wife combination of Graham and Jan Low.
They used their experience to outplay the younger bowlers in the Dunedin-based team which included four players in their 20s.
Southland bowlers dominated the competition. Seven of its eight bowlers were ranked in the top 10 at the two-day competition.
Graham Low, chief information officer of the Invercargill City Council, was the best performed bowler, winning 14 and drawing one of his 15 games.
His wife, Jan, won 13 games, drew one and lost one and was the second-best bowler. Grant Fortune (Southland) was the third-ranked bowler with 12 wins and a draw.
The only Otago bowler in the top 10 was international Daniel French who was ranked eighth-equal with 10 wins and a draw.
South Canterbury had two bowlers in the top 10. Christine Shand had 12 wins and was ranked fourth and Barbara Reid eighth-equal with 10 wins and a draw.
The Lows, who started playing indoor bowls together in 1989, have dominated the Southland scene and been competitive on the national scene. Graham has won 29 Southland titles and Jan has bagged 21.
Otago bowlers Brandon Williams, Nick Sinclair and Craig Cowan won nine games, one draw and were ranked 12th-equal.
Alanna Preddy (South Otago) was also ranked 12th-equal and team-mate Chris Moffitt had eight wins.
Stefan Robb with six wins and a draw was the best North Otago bowler and Rhonda Lockerbie won six games. Matt Begg and Ev Bisset (Central Otago) both had five wins.
North Taranaki, the defending Welch Trophy champion, and Upper Hutt Valley were the only districts to retain their trophies.
