A big surprise, as the underdog team of Aaron Phillips, Peter Tutton, and Malcolm Walker pulled off a massive victory to win the South Canterbury Centre Triples played at the West End and Kia Toa greens over the weekend.

It was a nail-biting final with no team prepared to give the opposition an advantage, with great last bowls by skips to alter the results of the heads on many occasions.

In the final West End were up against the Temuka team of Merv Davey, Mike Ross, and Lenny Luke.

On the third end with scores tied at 3 all, Phillips was three down on head and played a stunner to sit beside the kitty and take the lead 4 to 3. The next end, Ross played two outstanding bowls and Phillips reduced the count to one to lock the scores up at 4 all.

Outstanding bowls from Phillips' team, with Walker and Tutton having the better of Temuka's front two, they scored consecutive 3's and raced away to an 11 to 6 lead.

The Temuka men rallied back and closed the gap with great bowls from Luke and Ross to make score 12 to 11 to West End.

On the next end Luke plastered the kitty with his first bowl and Davey played two beauties, with Phillips just missing with his last for Temuka to take lead 14 to 12 with two to play.

Phillips, with his new bright yellow bowls played a blinder to close the gap 14 to 13.

The last end was a team effort by the West End players, with Walker holding two shots and Tutton added to hold three shots in change over. Phillips played a match winner with his first bowl to trail kitty for four shots and Davey missed with his last to give the  West End team a hard fought win.

This was Phillips' first South Canterbury title which was great to see as he's always been a steady player and an underrated bowler. It was Walker's second title and often over the weekend, you could see his purple bowls sitting by kitty, and it was Tutton's third title and his bowls has improved immensely since being the South Canterbury men's representative  senior manager.

In the semi finals both teams played great bowls to put out the two Kia Toa teams.

Last 7:

Richie Kerr, Rana Matenga, Jim Vevers (Kia Toa) 17 - Dave McNeill, Shayne Chisnal, Andrew Bell (West End) 7

Merv Davey, Mick Ross, Lenny Luke (Temuka) 20 - Marshall Stoddart, Dave Wood, Mike Perfect (Temuka) 10

Dean Harper, Dan Johnston, Jarrod Barker (Kia Toa) 13 - Jarrod Trevathan, Ricky Ross, Roger Glendinning (Geraldine) 9

Semi Final:

Phillips 15 - Harper 5

Davey 14 - Kerr 9

Final:

Phillips 16 - Davey 14

 - Richie Kerr