Ten years after winning her first national bowls crown, Stoke star Kirsten Edwards has claimed a fifth to attain the prized Gold Star status.
The 34-year-old combined with her longtime mate, Canterbury’s Mandy Boyd, to clinch the pairs’ title at the Burnside Club, beating Sandra Keith and Tania Woodham 18-12 in the final last week. It was all locked up 12-all after 14 of the 18 ends before the Kirsten and Mandy edged clear on the latter’s home green.
“Mandy and I both came in fresh because we don’t play as much as we used to. It is not an advantage though because you don’t have the practice behind you,” reveals the mother of five-year-old twins.
What made the victory even more special was that Kirsten’s first title had also come with Mandy, in 2016, and her mum Leigh Griffin, who are both Gold Star achievers.
Leigh, a fellow Nelson resident, was watching on as her daughter joined her in the elite club.
“As the nationals were in Christchurch, Mum decided to come down and support. It was super cool to win the title with her watching on,” says Kirsten, who moved from Wellington to Nelson in 2013.
Kirsten’s first four titles came in the fours, the last of them in 2021. Earlier, she and Mandy beat Stoke’s Amy McIlroy and Canterbury star Tayla Bruce 19-7 in the quarter-finals.
“It wasn’t as comfortable as that margin might suggest. The conditions were really windy,” says Kirsten.
Ironically, Kirsten and Amy normally team together for the Stoke Bowling Club. The pairs’ final was the tenth match they played in four days. It was a demanding schedule, so Kirsten made the most of the pool and spa at Mandy’s home in Pegasus, North Canterbury.
She skipped the singles competition and returned to Nelson where she was straight back into action at the weekend, playing for the “mighty Stoke” in the Nelson Bowls Centre triples with Amy and Gemma Watts. And they duly won the local title. Then there are representative commitments this weekend. So much for not-so-busy for Kirsten.
