It happened at the Taieri Bowling Club last night when Terry and Sarah Scott (North East Valley) beat Mary and Phil Stevenson (Outram) 28-5 in the final of the Bowls Dunedin mixed pairs.
It was the first time a father and daughter combination had been pitted against a mother and son team in the final of a Dunedin centre event.
Bowls is one of the rare sports in which men and women can face each other in competition.
That's what I like about it,'' Mary (62), a retired Berwick farmer, told the Otago Daily Times. ``Men and women can play together at the same level without needing a handicap.
`` It was special to get to the final with Phil. But we were out-bowled by two very good bowlers.''
Mary has won seven Bowls Dunedin titles but this was the first time she had played in a serious competition with her son.
Phil (38), a Dunedin accountant, has yet to break his duck.
``It was really neat and great fun to play with Mum,'' Phil said. ``No-one was the boss. We shared it around.''
This was the third year Terry (61), a greenkeeper and Sarah (33), an administrator, had played together in the event.
``I watched Dad play bowls when I was a teenager. It was special to win the title with Dad.''
Terry played with his wife Donna in the past. They won the inaugural Dunedin mixed pairs event when they beat former international Kevin Darling and Dawn Rowley.
``It was nice to play with Sarah this time. I loved it,'' Terry said. ``Sarah played very good bowls to put the pressure on them.''
Mary Stevenson has played bowls for 18 years and has seven Bowls Dunedin titles.
But the odds were stacked against them last night because Terry, a former international, has won a record 38 Bowls Dunedin titles. He has played bowls for 45 years.
Sarah made her international debut with the New Zealand development team in the Trans Tasman series last season and has now won three Bowls Dunedin titles in seven years.
The family bowls legacy is rich. Her father, uncles Jim and Shaun and great-uncles Kevin and Bill all played for New Zealand.
