Defending women's singles champion Jo Edwards heads a 10-strong New Zealand bowls team named on Friday for April's Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Tayla Bruce and Shannon McIlroy, The New Zealand bowls team is announced for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Edwards will be attending her fourth Games and also returning from previous Games campaigns are Ali Forsyth, Blake Signal, Paul Girdler, Shannon McIlroy (world singles champion), Mandy Boyd (Glasgow 2014 bronze, women's fours) and Val Smith (Delhi 2010 silver, singles; Glasgow 2014 bronze, women's fours).
Tayla Bruce, Katelyn Inch and Mike Nagy will make their Commonwealth Games debuts.
Games champion at Manchester 2002 and Glasgow 2014, 47-year-old Edwards lives in Brisbane and has been training at the Broadbeach Bowls Club, where lawn bowls will be contested.
"The greens on the Gold Coast are different to home so it doesn't do any harm being based here and getting to know them," she said.
"There's good competition here as well so that's driving me and helping with preparation."
Forsyth expects the team to grace the podium several times on the Gold Coast.
"The New Zealand team won seven medals out of a possible eight at the 2016 World Championships so that's given us a great deal of confidence," he said.
"I believe we can medal in close to all four of the men's events on the Gold Coast if we get on the greens as much as we can between now and April."
Bowls New Zealand CEO Mark Cameron says the experienced team will go well in the Australian conditions.
"More than half of this team is based in Australia so the conditions over there are very familiar to us," he said.
"We have a wealth of Commonwealth Games experience within this bunch and the athletes who are new to this environment will be able to draw on the experience of their team mates."
"I'm excited to see this team compete and I'm sure we'll be delivering results which will make New Zealand proud."
New Zealand has won 38 bowls medals at Commonwealth Games, including 12 golds.
The New Zealand Commonwealth Games Team now stands at 73 including athletes competing in Athletics, Diving, Gymnastics, Lawn Bowls, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Shooting and Swimming.
NZ bowls team, 2018 Commonwealth Games:
Ali Forsyth - Men's Fours/Men's Triples
Blake Signal - Men's Pairs/Men's Fours
Mike Nagy - Men's Triple/Men's Fours
Paul Girdler - Men's Triples/Men's Fours
Shannon McIlroy - Men's Singles/Men's Pairs
Jo Edwards - Women's Singles/Women's Pairs
Katelyn Inch - Women's Triples/Women's Fours
Mandy Boyd - Women's Triples/Women's Fours
Tayla Bruce - Women's Triples/Women's Fours
Val Smith - Women's Pairs/Women's Fours
