Bowls: Stalwart finds perfect match

Kensington's Ann Muir (left) teamed with southerner Carolyn Crawford to win the national pairs championship. Photo/Bowls NZ

When Whangarei bowling ace Ann Muir rolled up to the national championships she had never played a game with Dunedin's Carolyn Crawford.

But a string of events saw the bowlers from opposite ends of the country team up for the biggest upset of the competition.

Despite the nationals being Muir and Crawford's first outing together, and barely knowing each other, the pairing clicked from the outset.

They bowled over current world champions Jo Edwards and Val Smith 22-15 to win the final of the Heartland Bank National Open Women's Pairs Championship in Dunedin at the weekend.

The pair only came together because their original partners both had operations late last year and had to withdraw from the competition.

"I knew who Carolyn was but I'd never played a game with her and I really knew nothing about her," said Muir yesterday, during a break from qualifying games for the fours at the national tournament.

"It's a dream come true for me but she [Crawford] made it very easy," Muir said.

The game plan was simple.

"It was up to Carolyn to get the shots and for me to play rescue shots when needed," Muir said. "We had no expectations and we took it game by game."

A vocal crowd of about 1200 watched the final at the Taieri Bowling Club but the pair were not distracted and led 18-7 after the 12th end.

Muir is the first Bowls New Zealand president to win a national title while holding the top job. It was her second national title as she was lead in the Kensington club four that won the title in 2005.

The retired teacher, who has a Commonwealth Games bronze medal, has dedicated over 40 years to playing, coaching and administrating the sport.