Dale Rayner demonstrated her class yesterday when she qualified for the quarterfinals of Women’s Classic pairs at the North East Valley green.
Rayner (46), the head of the information office for a Wellington law firm, won the women’s pairs title with Ashleigh Jeffcoat (Waikato).
She won her first New Zealand individual title at New Plymouth in January, and demonstrated her class yesterday when she qualified for the quarterfinals of Women’s Classic pairs at the North East Valley green.
Rayner was runner-up in the national pairs in 2009.
"It was surreal," Rayner said.
"It was a big relief to finally get a title. I have been close a few times but it was good to finally get across the line."
It was a special occasion because Jeffcoat (17) was the youngest bowler to win a New Zealand open title.
Rayner started bowls at the age of 21 but gave up after three years because "no other girls in my age-group were playing".
She returned after 10 years and represented New Zealand at the Asia and Pacific Bowls in Malaysia in 2009 and at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010.
A cancer scare slowed her but she is back in full flight and eager to regain her spot in the Black Jacks.
Players were drawn by lot at Dunedin Casino, the tournament sponsor, on Wednesday and Rayner has the experienced Dunedin bowler Jenny Dyhrberg as her lead.
They had an 11-10 win over the Dunedin pair of Jan Barclay and Lynne Rance in the first game and then comfortably beat Karen Gordon (North East Valley) and last year’s champion Anne Bateman (Northland) 18-8, Beth Brown (Dunedin) and Kay Hammond (North East Valley) 10-8 and Noreen Paul (North East Valley) and Serena Matthews (Mid-Canterbury) 13-6.
Rayner’s only loss was to Annie McDonald (North Otago) and Margaret O’Connor (Queenstown) 12-10.
Sarah Scott (North East Valley) returned to her best form when teamed with fellow Dunedin inter-centre Sevens representative Sharon McCaw.
Scott played a match-winning shot when she drew to the edge of the ditch to claim the point on the 10th end when they beat Diane Brash (Central Otago) and Bronwyn Stevens (Southland) 14-11.
Scott and McCaw’s only loss came in the final game when they were beaten by three-times event winner Sandra Keith (Mid-Canterbury) and Jan Tucker (Dunedin) 13-9.
Keith and Tucker had five wins and joined Carolyn West (Dunedin) and Marilyn Patterson (South Otago) as the only two unbeaten teams.
The quarter finals will be played at the North East Valley green from 9am today.
● St Clair won the men’s Champion of Champion Triples, not Forbury Park as reported last Saturday.
