Bowls: Selection hints at Games team plans

The possible make-up of New Zealand's bowls team for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi has become clearer with the naming of the men's and women's national squads.

Reigning national singles champion Richard Collett is one of five new members in the squad.

Bowls New Zealand national coach and convener of selectors Dave Edwards said he and fellow selectors Terry Scott and Colleen Ferrick believe they can choose the Games team from this squad.

Apart from Collett, the other new name in the men's squad is Canterbury's Shayne Sincock, who has played outstanding bowls this summer.

Fresh faces in the women's squad are Adele Greenfield, the former Southlander who has become a force in Canterbury bowls in the past season, Wellington's Kaaren Guilford who also performed well and former New Zealand indoor bowls representative Dale Lang, who was outstanding at this year's national open championships.

"It would be fair to say that some of the chosen players have yet to achieve results of note, so far," Edwards said.

"But as well as natural ability, we have looked for players who, we think, have the necessary competitive requirements to make it on the international stage."

Edwards said the retention of the four "young guns" of New Zealand bowls - Andrew Kelly, Mark Watt, Genevieve Baildon and Clare McCaul - showed that the selectors were satisfied with the progress the younger brigade had made in the past season.

NZ BOWLS SQUADS
MEN
Ali Forsyth (Sydney), Richard Collett (Counties), Richard Girvan (Sydney), Jamie Hill (Auckland), Andrew Kelly (Canterbury), Gary Lawson (Canterbury), Shannon McIlroy (Nelson), Shayne Sincock (Canterbury), Andrew Todd (Sydney) and Mark Watt (Dunedin).

WOMEN
Genevieve Baildon (Waikato), Karen Coombe (Wanganui), Adele Greenfield (Canterbury), Kaaren Guilford (Wellington), Jan Khan (Canterbury), Dale Lang (Wellington), Clare McCaul (Wellington), Val Smith (Nelson) and Manu Timoti (Northland).

- NZPA