Women's team make it three in a row

With some superb pressure bowls, the South Canterbury women's development team has retained the Lex Kimber Trophy for the third year in a row.

The result went down to the last round of games, and was not decided until the South Canterbury trio of Doreen King, Sue Kelly and and Joanne Giles defeated third placegetters Central Otago 12-8.

The representative tournament is for emerging players, who have been playing bowls for less than 10 years.

Teams from South Canterbury, Central Otago, North Otago and Canterbury Country played on Aorangi Bowling Club greens which showed no sign of the erratic nature which had caused the men's champion of champions triples players trouble a week earlier.

South Canterbury were in control of the tournament from the beginning, but two losses in round four, first, Kelly in the singles, then the four, with Shirley Whyte, Giles, King and Janice Styles, gave the other teams a chance to catch up.

With Cental Otago and North Otago still a chance heading in to the final round, South Canterbury needed to find form quickly.

It was Giles who delivered as skip of the triples, as she led from the front, constantly pulling her team out of trouble.

The lead and second from Central Otago outperformed the South Canterbury duo, but Giles found a way to win the end for her team with her either of her two bowls. Having won eight of their 12 games, South Canterbury were deserved winners on 16 points, North Otago were second with 14 points, on points differential from Central Otago, and Canterbury Country were last.

- © Fairfax NZ News