Bowls: Hosts ready and confident

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The three-test transtasman series, which starts at Pakuranga this morning, means different things for different teams.

The hosts, and defending champions, are playing their already-selected Commonwealth Games line-up, but the Australians are using the annual contest as merely a step in their selection process.

"We are happy with the way we are doing things," said New Zealand selector/team manager Peter Kean. "We have the transtasman and then the Commonwealth Games in our sights. We are not watching the runner in lane eight.

"I believe we have an advantage in doing it our way. Selecting this team was more than just picking players," said Kean, who devised the format for the series. "We wanted to get the best fit for our players. I believe we have done that."

With three men's world champions in their team and four in the women's, New Zealand go into the series as warm favourites.

Dunedin's Mike Kernaghan has taken the singles role and will face three-time Hong Kong singles winner Adam Jeffery, at least in today's first test.

Australian-based professionals and Asia-Pacific champions Russell Meyer and Paul Girdler give New Zealand a strong hand in the pairs, and veteran campaigners Peter Belliss and Rowan Brassey are joined in the four by Andrew Curtain and Sean Johnson.

Former world indoor champion Marlene Castle will play singles for New Zealand but will be pressed by Australian Karen Murphy.

Asia-Pacific gold medal-winning pair Sharon Sims and Jo Edwards have been retained, and Patsy Jorgensen, Jan Khan and Anne Lomas, all gold medal winners at the last World Bowls, are back joined by Wendy Jensen as lead.

The senior events will be played on the same format as the Commonwealth Games - singles, pairs and fours. The men's under-30 and women's development/academy clashes will be decided in singles, pairs, triples and fours.

All team games will be over 15, rather than 18 or 21, ends. Singles will be of 21 shots.