Now they have a gold medal behind them in the world bowls championships, Gary Lawson and pairs partner Russell Meyer have the fours title, starting with section play today, firmly in their sights.
Lawson was reluctant yesterday to speak at length about his fours aspirations, preferring instead forthe spotlight at the Burnside greens to be on New Zealand's women's singles specialist Val Smith.
But according to some of the game's best judges, the Lawson-skipped four, with Meyer at three, Richard Girvan at two and Andrew Todd at lead, have a realistic chance of another medal.
Indeed, New Zealand probably has more expectations for the second week of the world championships than the first.
With Smith partnering Jo Edwards in the pairs, the Lawson-skipped four, singles specialist Ali Forsyth and Sharon Sims skipping the women's triples, the Black Jacks appeared better balanced over all of the disciplines than last week.
No one was more delighted with Lawson's pairs triumph than Peter Belliss, who won the pairs title with Rowan Brassey nearly 20 years ago and who was among the first to congratulate Lawson and Meyer on Friday.
Over the years, Lawson has had many setbacks and a number of differences with officialdom which have occasionally seen him out of national selections. But Belliss has always been among his supporters.
The win, he said, had put the seal on Lawson's career and his place among the game's greats.
"I take my hat off to him," Belliss said. "He's worked hard at it and deserves this success. This was his best chance of finally getting gold and he knew that. Looking at his national record, he's always been there and while this is his first gold, he's always been rated internationally in the top bracket."
Meanwhile, Scotland, up 15-5 at one stage, held on against a fast-finishing Fiji to win a thrilling men's fours final yesterday 16-14.
Playing in the middle for Scotland was Willie Wood, who at a time when the game has become dominated by youth and athleticism, offered reassurance that bowls can still have a place for senior citizens. Nearly 70, Wood collected his 11th world championship medal, and his fourth gold. He also has two Commonwealth Games gold medals, plus a silver and bronze.
