Bowls: Blackjacks hit form at BPL

The Blackjacks celebrate at the Bowls Premier League in Auckland. Photo / Supplied

After eight rounds of Bowls Premier League action, the New Zealand Blackjacks sit comfortably in the top half of the table, while defending champions Sydney Lions remain in control of it.

Day one for the New Zealand BPL team, consisting of world champions Shannon McIlroy and Blake Signal and Commonwealth gold medalist Jo Edwards, saw mixed results with two wins and two losses.

The notable win being against former Bowls New Zealand coach Dave Edwards and the Brisbane Pirates side. The game went to a tie break, where the home side scored three to win the game.

Day two got off to a shaky start for the Blackjacks, going down to front runners- Sydney Lions- in straight sets 3-11, 4-7.

Finding their groove the Blackjacks shook up the leader board in round six beating the Gold Coast Hawks (10-1, 10-2) to move up two places into the top four.

Marking their place in this tournament, the Blackjacks put on a nail biting performance in the eighth round in the night match against the Melbourne Roys. Going down in the first set 1-10, McIlroy replicated his world championship performance to win the tie break 1-0.

The biggest upset however, was the Brisbane Pirates knocking the Sydney Lions from their sixth consecutive win, taking the match in a tie break.

On Wednesday morning, the Blackjacks will again meet the Gold Coast Hawks.