KEY POINTS:
Jo Edwards added to an already outstanding record by winning the New Zealand Open women's singles title at Henderson yesterday.
Edwards, twice a world champion in the pairs, firstly in 2004 and earlier this year in Christchurch, had little trouble disposing of Lisa Prideaux, of New South Wales, in the final, 8-2, 8-3.
The comfortable win meant Edwards went through the entire week of six singles matches without even looking like dropping a set. As did some of Edwards' earlier opponents, Prideaux handicapped herself with an attack of nerves, bowling a wrong bias on just the second end.
Edwards now plays for Christchurch's Burnside club but hails from Nelson. And it was another top of the South Island product in young Matt Gallop who won the men's singles title.
From Blenheim but now with Eastbourne in Wellington, Gallop pipped the successful skip in Thursday's triples final, Canterbury's Shayne Sincock, in spectacular fashion.
With Sincock dropping threes on two of the ends, Gallop took the first set 10-5. But the match looked to be headed for a tie-breaker with Sincock leading 10-6 coming to the last end of the second set.
Short bowls, however, proved Sincock's undoing and, with Gallop drawing impeccably to pick up a maximum four, the set was drawn, giving Gallop the title.
In the men's pairs final Australian international squad members, Mark Jacobsen and Robbie Thompson, had an 18-6 win over Waikato's Brian Cathro and Tony Fabling.
The ease of the Australian win was perhaps predictable for on the few ends they were in trouble the experience of Jacobsen, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 1998, proved crucial.
