Aussies pipped at the post

Aussies pipped at the post

Australia's stranglehold on the Trans Tasman Trophy has been broken after losing a double countback to New Zealand in Invercargill today.

Needing to win all four afternoon rubbers to pull off a remarkable comeback, the Australians fell just short, handing the coveted crown to the Kiwis on games won (13-11) after the overall series was tied 3-3.

While the men's team retained their title, coming back from a test down in the best-of-three series to edge out their arch nemesis, the Black Jacks also clinched the women's competition despite losing today's final test.

"There's lots of positives to take out (of this series)," Australian coach Steve Glasson said.

"We've experimented with new combinations, so it's a great stepping stone to what's leading up to the future.

"We've basically been beaten by one game...and there were a lot of narrow losses."

During his 150th appearance for Australia, Mark Casey, 29, engineered a series win for the men on the back of impressive wins at the Waihopai Bowling Club in the triples and fours.

Brett Wilkie and Aron Sherriff, ranked number six and three in the world respectively, then ensured the result was a fait accompli with an epic 24-23 victory in the pairs.

In the women's competition, world number six Kelsey Cottrell claimed a 21-9 victory in the singles, but with Australia chasing a result in the pairs, they were narrowly beaten.

The new-look triples combination of Natasha Van Eldik, Sharyn Renshaw and Julie Keegan sewed up the test, however, with a 20-12 triumph over Genevieve Baildon, Jan Shirley and Jan Khan.

Caption: World number three Aron Sherriff and world number six Brett Wilkie have helped clinch the men's Trans Tasman series in Invercargill. Image kindly provided by Crispin Anderlini for Bowls NZ.

Trans Tasman test three results

Men's singles: Aron Sherriff (AUST) lt Shannon McIlroy (NZ) 12-21

Men's pairs: Brett Wilkie and Aron Sherriff (AUST) bt Matt Gallop and Ali Forsyth (NZ) 24-23

Men's triples: Mark Berghofer, Wayne Turley and Mark Casey (AUST) bt Shannon McIlroy, Shaun Scott, Richard Girvan and Ali Forsyth (NZ) 18-9

Men's fours: Mark Berghofer, Brett Wilkie, Wayne Turley and Mark Casey (AUST) bt Matt Gallop, Shaun Scott, Richard Girvan and Ali Forsyth (NZ) 17-12

Series result: Australia retains the men's title 2-1

Women's singles: Kelsey Cottrell (AUST) bt Jan Khan (NZ) 21-8

Women's pairs: Kelsey Cottrell and Lynsey Armitage (AUST) lt Val Smith and Jo Edwards (NZ) 12-18

Women's triples: Natasha Van Eldik, Sharyn Renshaw and Julie Keegan (AUST) bt Genevieve Baildon, Jan Shirley and Jan Khan (NZ) 20-12

Women's fours: Sharyn Renshaw, Natasha Van Eldik, Lynsey Armitage and Julie Keegan (AUST) lt Genevieve Baildon, Jan Shirley, Val Smith and Jo Edwards (NZ) 11-13

Series result: New Zealand claims the women's title 2-1

Series result: New Zealand claims the overall Trans Tasman Trophy 3-3 (13-11)