Bowls: Australians to make up for Comm Games showing

Mark Casey, Wayne Turly and Brett Wilkie of Australia talk it over. Photo / Getty Images

The Australian bowls team will be looking to make up for a disappointing Commonwealth Games campaign at the upcoming World Bowls Championships in Christchurch.

The Australian team under-achieved at the Glasgow Games in 2014 and one of those surviving players says there is a determination to make up for it in November-December.

"We pride ourselves on good results and I guess the last results at the Commonwealth Games weren't as strong as what Bowls Australia expected," Mark Casey tells herald.co.nz.

"We are hoping to put our best foot forward and do well at these championships."

Casey says the Australian side has been working towards the Christchurch based tournament for a while now.

"Our preparations are well underway. We have had several camps already and we have another one this month.

"We feel that the team selected is fantastic and we are really combining well as a team.

"Hopefully we can do the country proud once again."

The greens in Christchurch are expected to be fast and Casey says part of the preparation has been trying to imitate the conditions the Australians are likely to face in New Zealand.

"We are working hard to try and get as much time on quick greens back home," he says.

"We have tried to play into some wind as Christchurch tends to be a bit windy that time of the year.

"We will be arriving quite early so we can get some time on the greens."

Casey knows the home side will provide plenty of opposition as the Blackjacks look to farewell long-time coach Dave Edwards with a successful tournament before he takes up a new post coaching domestically in Australia.

"New Zealand is going to be one of favourites in most events given that it is on their greens and the team they have picked is world class.

"I think New Zealand and Scotland, particularly in the men's, will be hard to beat.

"Scotland with Alex Marshall, Paul Foster and Darren Burnett - any time you have those three players in the same team they will be hard to beat."