Shelley and Mark Jacombs from the Vogelmorn Club, Hutt Valley won the Open Championship Pairs title at the 69th Summerset National Indoor Bowls Championships at the EA Networks Centre, Ashburton on Tuesday while Lyn and Graham Brittain, North End Club, Northland won the Masters Pairs title.
It is only the third time in the history of the National Championships that a women has skipped the winning team in the Open Pairs. The previous ones were Cath Thompson who combined with her husband Cliff from Waikato in 1963 and Alison Hughes who skipped Gayleen Bell, Waikato in 2001.
And then to put the icing on the cake Lyn Brittain became the first woman to skip the Masters Champion team with her husband Graham. This was a remarkable feat for the Northland pair as Graham suffered a severe stroke a few years ago and this achievement was beyond their wildest dreams.
In the final Jacombs defeated the father and son combination of Mark and Sean Ridley, from the Club 2000, North Taranaki 10-5 while Brittain defeated last year's champions Barry Clement and Moyra Hood, Papamoa Sports Club, Tauranga 11-4 in the Masters final over 10 ends.
Moyra Hood who was in the runner-up team lives in a Summerset Home and was thrilled to be able to take photos and take the news back to her neighbours.
In the semifinals Shelley and Mark Jacombs, Vogelmorn, Hutt Valley knocked out the defending champions Paul Wright and Richard Caddy from the St Andrews Club, Waikato 9-5 while Mark and Sean Ridley from Club 2000, North Taranaki put out Steve Fisher and Paul Voorend, Portage Road, Auckland 11-6.
In the semifinals of the Masters Event Clement beat the Masters Singles champion Mark Sheard and Helen Rennie, Ashburton MSA 8-6 while Brittain defeated Ton Kaan and Ian Malcolm, Greenhithe Club, North Harbour 8-6.
The Bob Malcolm Memorial Trophy for the best married couple in the Open Pairs went to Shelley and Mark Jacombs.
