North Island representative Shaun Blackbourn led his team of David Archer, James Sullivan and Joy Archer from the St Andrews Club, Waikato to win the North Island Indoor Bowls Championship Fours at the Rotorua Sportsdrome on Sunday. David Archer is also a North Island representative and Joy a NZ Representative Mat Black and James has represented the South Island.
This gave Blackbourn and Joy Archer their fifth Island Championship titles and earned for them Island Championship Gold Stars.
Their Island Championship record is North Island Pairs 2018, South Island Pairs 2019, South Island Triples 2019, North Island Fours 2020 and 2021.
They were the defending fours champions and this win gave David his third Island Championship title and James his fourth.
In the final they defeated a composite team of two Bay of Plenty players Derek and Gina Owen and two Hawkes Bay players Erik and Chrissy Chilton playing out of the Rotorua Citizens Club 15-6 in a one sided final.
Third equal were Grant l’Ami, Paul Midgley, Mike Phipps and Lorraine Phipps from Club Mount Maunganui, Tauranga and Linda McCurdy, Dale Rayner, Sarah Warrington and Rochelle Cameron from St Andrews Club, Waikato.
40 fours entered the event and 13 teams qualified for post section play.