Shona Kirchen and Richard Statham are partners through life and on the bowling green, and now they’re also South Pacific Champions.

The couple won the lawn bowls mixed pairs competition at the 65th South Pacific Carnival, held from 27 December to 6 January and hosted by Woonona Bowling Club. The tournament kicked off at Windang Bowling Club with 770 competitors, including 90 teams in the mixed pairs division, with the finalists competing at Woonona. Shona and Richard say they had no expectations going into the competition.

“We weren’t under any pressure on the first day because we weren’t expecting anything, so we just played and we both played really, really well that day,” says Shona.

“We didn’t expect to do as well as we did - we went in there with the idea that we'd have a good go at it. You had to win all three games at Windang, which was a bit daunting, and we were surprised when we came away with three wins,” says Richard.

The pair continued their winning streak and found themselves in the final at Woonona, facing Queanbeyan’s Cherrie Climas and Darren Walsh. They won the game 19-12.

Richard has been bowling for just six years, and Shona even less, starting only four years ago. They were up against players with more than 20 years of experience but managed to clinch the championship, making them the first team from Kiama to win in 30 years.

“We didn’t have any clue that we’d go as well as we did. But we just kept playing and were lucky enough to win. It was more of a surprise to us than anyone else,” says Shona.

The pair, who have been partners for 23 years, say the key to their success is that they never get angry at one another.

“We just go out there to enjoy ourselves,” says Richard. “If someone puts down a bad shot, we forget about it. We don’t get angry or upset with each other, as we’ve noticed with some other teams.

“Once you get cranky with each other, you lose your concentration and rhythm, and you feel like you have to try harder, which messes everything up.”

Shona adds that this calm and supportive attitude is not just present in their relationship, but also within the lawn bowls community, especially at Kiama Bowling Club.

“If you win or lose, everyone comes in, sits around together, and compliments each other on their games that day,” she says. “It’s a nurturing environment, you meet new people, make friends, and it’s challenging too. It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

Richard and Shona want to extend a big thank you to everyone who came out to support them, as well as to Woonona Bowling Club for hosting the event. They also encourage anyone interested in lawn bowling to give it a try.

“Give it a go! There are bowls available at Kiama Bowling Club, so you don’t need to buy your own,” says Shona. “There’s free coaching on Tuesday afternoons at 4.30pm, and you don’t need to book, just come down, and they’ll set you up and off you go.”

The Bugle congratulates Shona and Richard on their impressive achievement!