Bowls: Keith overcomes tooth pain to win title

Canterbury's Sandra Keith overcame the discomfort of a broken tooth, to win yesterday's national women's singles title. Photo / Supplied

Canterbury's Sandra Keith, appropriately dressed in red and black, overcame the discomfort of a broken tooth, to win yesterday's national women's singles title from Mandy Boyd, who until this defeat had been emerging as one of the tournament's biggest stars.

Keith made no race of the final, winning 21-10. It was her first national title, though she had considerable success, before concentrating on the outdoor game, in indoor bowls, having won two national championships in that sport.

Before coming to Auckland, Keith suffered a broken tooth. She did not seek treatment in case it jeopardised her competing in the championships.

"There was no way I was going to let anyone put a needle in my mouth," she said. "As long as it was causing me pain I was happy to play through it."

Keith started playing bowls 23 years ago, when she was 17, and comes from a family steeped in the game. Both her brothers have played to a high level and her 2m-tall father, Sandy, was one of a celebrated Canterbury country four which performed with distinction at several nationals.

But she has not had any coaching from her father or anyone else. "I think I picked up the game just watching Dad and how he played," she said.

It has been only recently that she has given more attention to the outdoor game, her work as a machinist having previously taken priority.

Keith will now represent New Zealand at the world champion-of-champions event in Cyprus this year. Boyd, playing with her older sister Angela in the pairs' final suffered further disappointment when they were beaten by the slightly more experienced duo of Waikato's Genevieve Baildon and Canterbury's Jan Shirley 20-12 after 17 ends.

A tight match swung the way of Baildon and Shirley on the 13th end when the scores were 12-all and the Boyds were holding two shots on the head, only for Mandy to trail the jack to two of Baildon's back bowls and go down two.

That was followed soon after by a four to Baildon and Shirley. It was this pair's first national title, though each has been a Black Jack, with Baildon winning gold at the recent Asia-Pacific Games. Lindsay Knight