Former South Pacific Pairs champions Brett Pieper and Scott Bateup face the toughest of challenges against nine-time carnival winner Shane Garvey in Thursday's knockout round at Kiama.
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Albion Park bowls coordinator Pieper and Wiseman Park star Bateup won the 2017 pairs, while Bateup also won in 2011 with Hemi Palmer plus the fours in 2015.
Pieper and Bateup (3wins+19) clinched section 10 at Albion Park last Sunday while Bateup's clubmates Garvey and Mick Thorne (3wins+23) took section 9 to set up a dream round one post-sectional match-up.
Garvey is a South Pacific legend with nine titles including the pairs in 2004 and 2013, while his partner Thorne is coming off an excellent season at the Gwynneville-based club.
Already Garvey and Thorne, with partners Greg Jeans and Trent Whittingham are into the fours final after winning three post-sectional games on Monday.
The Pieper and Bateup versus Thorne and Garvey pairs clash follows a carnival rest day on New Year's Day with the 41 pairs section winners to be reduced to just eight contenders after three knockout rounds on Thursday.
See more: Combination pairs prove a big hit
Heading a long list of contenders are another Wiseman Park combination, father and son Glenn and Jordan Taylor who have won more South Pacific Pairs matches over the past three years than anyone - but the title still eludes them.
The duo reached the final 12 months ago plus played in the 2017 decider against Pieper/Bateup and were semi-finalists in 2018.
Glenn Taylor estimates 28 wins in three years, but it's the three defeats at the pointy end of the carnival that has left the Taylors motivated by unfinished business.
''We've been very close but not able to get over the line,'' Taylor said.
''We're playing well and we keep coming back and hopefully this will be our year.''
The Taylors want to become only the second father-son combination and first home grown duo to win the South Pacific Pairs in the 61 years of competition.
Australian bowls legend Steve Glasson and his son Ben took the pairs crown in 2016, but it would mean a lot to the Taylors to emulate the feat and etch their name as the first Illawarra champions.
The Taylors started this campaign impressively, winning their two games in section 24 at Figgy Bowlo by a combined 30 shots to romp into Thursday's post-sectional phase. They enjoy a bye in round one.
The Wiseman Park duo face Camden's Baden Harris and Kevin Harris, who claimed section 25 with three tight wins.
Balgownie-based, Mt Lewis member John Green has won the pairs four times with Matt Sargeant. Green is now through to the knockout phase with Matt Miles - who won the NSW pairs with Jesse Noronha in 2018.
Green and Miles take on Dave Walters and Barry Hazlegrove (composite) in round two, with the winner to take on either Gavin Aitken/Glen Aitken (composite) or Woonona's Gary Ford/Brian Smith.
Host club Kiama have two teams into the knockout phase with Adam Rodgers and Steve Wills facing the composite pairing of Andrew Johnston and Ken Hunt.
A couple of rinks away in another round one match-up, Kiama's Jessie James and Dave Robinson face Damian Harrison and Alan Jones (composite).
Figgy Bowlo are having a great run in the pairs with four teams winning their section.
Harry Johnston/Mark Sunderland take on Jayden Gebbie/Jeremy Henry in round two, with Figgy Bowlo's Gordon Young and John Chetcuti to meet Albion Park's Chris McLay/Corey Thompson in round one.
Figgy's Peter Ellem and Richard Humble face talented teenagers Daniel Davies (Windang) and Tyson Arneman (Dapto Citizens), while Jim Kambouris and Denis Cooper have a round one bye.
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