Cue Sport: Hawke's Bay's Dean Garnett and partner Brent Wells retain first of three 2018 national pairs titles

Brent Wells (left) and Dean Garnett retained their Clubs New Zealand North Island 8Ball Pairs title last weekend. Photo / Supplied

The question had to be put to Hawke's Bay cueist Dean Garnett after he and Palmerston North's Brent Wells retained their Clubs New Zealand North Island 8Ball Pairs title last weekend: that's the first of your three 2018 national pairs titles retained. Can you two retain the other two?

"That's what we're hoping for," Havelock North's Garnett replied.

In addition to the national Commercial Travellers Clubs title in September and Clubs New Zealand's national pairs title in October they will also chase Clubs New Zealand's Masters Pairs title in Christchurch next month.

"Brent recently turned 50 so we can compete in the Masters together now," 52-year-old Garnett said.

The Heaphy Billiards-sponsored Garnett and Wells became the first pair to win all three titles in the same year last year. Last weekend they were among 78 pairs in their New Plymouth Club-hosted event.

They were unbeaten in section play and beat Hamilton's Healey White and Lincoln Muaalu 5-3 in their final. With this victory they became the first pair to retain the title in 15 years.

Their semifinal against host club young guns Adam Lilley and Des Wilcox was a thriller before Garnett and Wells won 5-4.

"I played terrible in the semifinal but fortunately Brent carried me in that one," Garnett recalled.

In their quarter-final Garnett and Wells beat Petone's Chris Baker and Paul Leishman 5-3. In their last 16 match they beat South Taranaki Club's Porter Warrender and Greg Matthews 4-0 and in their last 32 clash Whanganui's Steve Robertson and Mike Watson 4-0.

Garnett, who is in his fourth year playing with Wells, was unable to retain his singles title, which was won by Wilcox. Garnett was eliminated in the last 32 of the 180-strong field and Wells went out in the quarter-finals.

On June 15 and 16 Garnett and Wells will be among a capacity field of 60 playing in the Taradale Club's annual singles tournament. In November they will chase a fourth consecutive Taradale Club pairs title.

Zeagold Foods truck driver Garnett and Wells celebrated appropriately last weekend but Garnett will be celebrating a new addition to his family next week. Daughter Nicole is due to give birth to his first grandchild.