The Green Island bowler is the only player to have been involved in the Southern zone women’s eights tournament since its inception in 1998 and this weekend will be no different.
Rance is lining up for her 27th tournament with the Otago team at the Dunedin Indoor Bowls Stadium.
"I was the original one. I’m the only one that’s played right through," Rance said.
"I just so enjoy meeting the people that you’ve met over the years. You make a lot of friends and it’s just a great competition among ladies — it’s just brilliant."
The annual tournament features teams from Otago, South Canterbury, North Otago, South Otago, Central Otago and Southland, and is returning to Dunedin for the first time in six years.
Southland have been the leaders through the years, notching 12 wins and winning the tournament for the past three years.
Otago, who have won the tournament seven times and last held the trophy in 2019, are packed with talent.
Keri Te Tamaki, who captained the South Island team last year, is suiting up alongside fellow South Island representative Tracey Van Tuel.
Van Tuel is also playing alongside her sister, Amanda Kapita, and Kapita’s daughter, Poppy, 18, is also in the team.
There is power across all the teams including former South Island representatives Alanna Moffitt, from South Otago, and Suzanne Mackie, from Southland, who is also a former national representative.
Each district has eight players split into two teams of four.
Each player plays five games of singles, pairs, and fours across the two days.
At the end, the points for both teams of fours are combined and the district with the most points is the winner.
Play gets under way at 8.30am today and the final games should be finished by mid-afternoon tomorrow.
