Young Aidan de Smidt and Nicole Erwee stamped their mark on sensational 2025 campaign with a come from behind victory at the 2025 Bowls South Africa Mixed Pairs in Polokwane.

Perhaps it was written in the stars that the De Smidt/Erwee combo would prevail given their ascent to the very top has been littered with success along the way; both as young players looking to impress as individuals as well as together in what has fast become a formidable partnership built on equal responsibility and trust over the past three seasons.

De Smidt has made a lot of noise when it comes to breaking into the elite group of competitors playing in Johannesburg. And that's probably only right given that he's a budding DJ when he's not busy knocking the opposition out of the park.

Sport runs through his veins, he's just been appointed as the Youth Development officer of local football side TS Galaxy, which might be the hint as to how he's risen so fast through the ranks despite only picking up bowls in 2019.

Now in the Bowls South Africa Green Squad, reserved for the next generation of players attempting to represent the national team, De Smidt recently won gold in the Gauteng Open pairs albeit at lead to go with his district Fours' gold medal where he played second.

Together with Erwee, the duo won the district Mixed Pairs title to qualify for the main event which concluded at the end of August.

"Aidan is one of my best friends," says Erwee.

"He has a lot of belief in me ... which always helps when things get tough. We've combined to make a team that proves that compatibility on the greens is almost as important as the skills you have."

From an outsiders' view, Erwee might be the perfect foil for her partner. A cool customer who has let her bowls do the talking this season.

Not to be outdone by her teammate's achievements, the young bowler was recently named the JBA Women's Player of the Year following a stunning run which included gold in the Gauteng Open singles and gold in the district Fours.

As a mathematics teacher, her approach to the game balances the pair nicely into what has become a slick operation.

Their balance though was severely tested in the heat and wind during the showpiece event as they played their way into the final after 9 tough group section games.

"The tournament was amazing ... the facilities and the welcoming, from start to finish it was really good from all angles. But it's a long run to get to the final ... all tough competitors as we all know," says De Smidt.

"We worked on our communication throughout - it's a hard slog to the final and we had to rely on each other a lot throughout. I wasn't good in every game and neither was she, but we rallied well and always lifted each other up. That proved to be the key."

The biggest obstacle was yet to come as they found themselves 10-1 down in the final against Natal Inland duo Brad Robinson, the talented Proteas front-ranker, and Tara Janse Van Rensburg.

"Finals are tough ... you play so well to get there but then it's the game you want to win. It's the one game that means the most. I have Nicole to thank for getting us back into the game, not only with her bowls but how she helped me focus because the emotions were bubbling over," added De Smidt.

From Erwee's perspective it was a case of trying to remain calm and let the outcome take care of itself.

"The game is always about teamwork. I kept reminding Aidan that it's not over till it's over. We both tried to remain present and we knew that we had a lot of ends still to play."

The mantra of just getting them close and eventually a big score would come finally paid off.

And from then on, the JBA pair rocketed into fifth gear as the exuberance of youth took over.

"The final was chaos really. From highs of making it to the gold medal match to the lows of going far behind. And then ignoring the noise and playing well again to win the title ... just amazing," adds De Smidt.

Both players felt a sense that the tournament would be special and eventually it proved to be the case.

"I don't really know why, but we both felt that it was our time and that as we got further and further into the tournament, the dream was getting so close and we just reached out and grabbed it," concludes Erwee.

Their victory was not only a stamp of approval for youth making waves in South African bowls but also another sign that Johannesburg is the breeding ground of gold medallists as this was the third victory in a row for the district.

The skips on the previous occasions were Gerry Baker and Jason Evans. Now De Smidt has added his name to the famed trophy.

While he has a long way to go in the game, he's blazing a trail that many youngsters would do well to follow.

As for Erwee, her role is far from that of a support act with another major title added to her growing CV. She's not knocking on the door of the national setup, she's just about broken it down.

As for now, her DJ partner can turn on the jukebox and play "we are the champions" ... as they sit and gather themselves for what lies ahead.