The pair, both state representatives, had suffered a heavy loss in their opening match on Thursday, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

The friends felt like there was less pressure on them to perform and took a more relaxed approach into the remainder of the two-day tournament at Warrnambool Bowls Club.

Their laidback attitude helped them to the $2000 first prize at the annual event, with the duo winning all of their remaining matches.

“I really want to thank Kel for asking me to play with her,” Glenroy’s Shortis said.

“It was all about having fun for us.”

That’s exactly what they did, with Bowles pleased she partnered up with Australia Day pairs debutante Shortis.

“We get along so well and we room together when we go away (for state commitments), so we’ve really got to know each other,” Bowles said.

“The social side of it was just as important as the bowling side of it.”

The pair agreed that the hardest match came yesterday morning, when they met fellow state representatives and friends Rebecca McMahon and Hayley Miller, from Colac.

After recording a 13-shot victory, they sat third on the leaderboard behind Joyce Lindores, who Bowles took out the tournament with last year.

“We knew if Joyce lost and we had a good win, we would be thereabouts,” Shortis said.

Bowles, a Saturday pennant player for Warrnambool, said the pair tried to simply focus on their own game in the last round. “We had to control our own fate,” she said.

A commanding victory coupled with Lindores and Mary-Anne Spizer dropping their final match sealed the win for Bowles and Shortis, who finished with eight points and +58 shots.

Second was Mount Gambier’s Jenny Waugh and Heather Richards (eight points, +41 shots), while third was young guns Carla Odgers and Chloe Stewart (eight points, +37 shots), who are both in the Australian development squad.

The tournament attracted a capacity field of 32 pairs.