The zone finals of the New Zealand Indoor Bowls Mixed Fours competitions were played throughout the country at the weekend and the eight zone winners to go forward to the national final to be held at the Hogg Crescent Indoor Bowls Complex, Masterton on July 30 were found.

Play was on a round robin basis and the team with the most game points won its zone. The successful districts included Bay of Plenty's Simon Hatcher, Marge Taare, Barry McLeod and Gill Reynolds who came through a tough zone which included Tauranga's New Zealand representatives Mike Phipps and Fiona Wilson and North Island representatives Paul Smith and Lorraine Phipps. In the match between the two teams the Bay of Plenty won 9-5.

The Phipps' were in last year's national champion mixed fours team. The other half of last year's champions Taranaki's Grant l'Ami and Michelle Watt this year combined with Dennis and Pauline Behrent to squeak through in the North Island Western Zone by half an end on a count back against North Taranaki.

Upper Hutt Valley which included New Zealand representative Lisa White and North Island representative Sheree Holmes and were skipped by Blake Signal along with Jason McAdams won a tight contest in the NI Southern zone on a count back of scores after they finished equal on game points and ends won with Hutt Valley.

Counties won the Northern Zone with super sub Trevor Coleman coming in to replace Bruce Hudson in the team skipped by Roger Andrew along with Joyce Wilson and Nancye Wright while Hawkes Bay's David Vesty, Michael Brown, Priscilla McLean and Michelle Vesty won in the South Eastern Zone.

Three top teams will represent the South Island at the national final with New Zealand representative Ashley Diamond skipping his team of David Philpott, Julie Dalley and Bev Diamond to victory in SI Eastern zone, Nigel Warnes, Hayden Warnes, Denise Powick and Louise Mason in Northern Western Zone and Mark Keen, Mervyn Ryder, Rhonda Milne and Maree Swain in the Southern Zone.

Marlborough did not compete in the North Western Zone and each of the three remaining teams, Nelson, Golden Bay-Motueka and Hokitika all recorded one win each and on the count back of ends Nelson had eleven, Golden-Bay Motueka 10 and Hokitika nine ends each.