Bowls: Black Jacks name strong squad

New Zealand coach Dave Edwards is confident of success at the world championships. Photo / Natalie Slade

New Zealand have named an experienced 17-strong national bowls squad for 2012, with Blake Signal the only change from the group that picked up plenty of silverware last year.

Signal comes in for Richard Collett, who is unavailable.

Ten members of the squad (five men, five women) will be selected to play in a six-nations invitational event in Adelaide in May against Australia, Fiji, Malaysia, Scotland and South Africa. After that, the team of 10 to contest November's world championships, also in Adelaide, will be chosen.

New Zealand coach Dave Edwards said players deserved to retain their spots after last year and was confident of success at the world championships.

"There will be a lot of hard work needed between now and the world championships at the end of the year to get us in medal contention,'' he said. "However, with the buildup we have planned, we are confident of success.

"Blake is a player who has been in our system for five years and we are delighted to see the hard work he has put in pay dividends.''

World No 1 Jo Edwards, who won the world champion of champions title as well as the world cup and two golds at the Asia-Pacific championships, heads the team and is joined by the likes of Val Smith, Jan Khan, Ali Forsyth, Richard Girvan and Dan Delaney.

New Zealand won four medals at the Asia-Pacific championships with gold in the men's and women's pairs and women's fours as well as silver in the men's fours.

2012 Black Jacks squad:

Women: Val Smith (United, Nelson), Jan Khan (Beckenham, Canterbury), Jo Edwards (United, Nelson), Leanne Curry (Frankton Railway, Waikato), Mandy Boyd (Johnsonville, Wellington), Genevieve Baildon (Hillcrest, Waikato), Clare McCaul (Silverstream, Wellington), and Jan Shirley (Canterbury, Canterbury).

Men: Richard Girvan (Onehunga, Auckland and Nelsen Bay, NSW), Ali Forsyth (Havelock, Marlborough and Taren Point, Sydney), Dan Delany (Onehunga, Auckland), Tony Grantham (Onehunga, Auckland), Shaun Scott (North East Valley, Dunedin), Matt Gallop (Cabramatta, Sydney), Greg Ruaporo (Hillsboro, Auckland), Andrew Kelly (Canterbury, Canterbury), Shannon McIlroy (Stoke, Nelson), and Blake Signal (Stokes Valley, Wellington).