Bowls: NZ bowlers chasing four-from-four

New Zealand are gunning for their fourth consecutive series win in the annual transtasman series starting in Sydney today.

The series at the St Jones Park club features separate match-ups between five-person sides at men's and women's full international, men's under-30 and women's academy level.

Each side play one test on each of the next three days. In each test, teams play singles and fours in one session, with the same five players reforming for triples and pairs in the other.

The overall trophy is awarded across the four separate series.

New Zealand defend the men's full international, men's under-30s and the women's academy trophies, as well as the overall prize, all won in Pakuranga a year ago.

New Zealand bowlers have enjoyed a purple patch since 2000, winning three world titles that year and taking a medal in all eight events at the 2001 Asia Pacific championships, including three gold.

They also enjoyed their best Commonwealth Games overseas last year, winning four medals from six disciplines at Manchester.

A fourth transtasman defeat would rub salt into the wounded Australians, who have announced a revamp of their own high performance programme, following a bleak performance in Manchester.

New Zealand:

Men's full international: singles - Russell Meyer (New South Wales); pairs - Meyer, Paul Girdler (NSW); triples - Rowan Brassey (Auckland), Sean Johnson (Wanganui), Gary Lawson (Canterbury); fours - Brassey, Johnson, Girdler, Lawson.

Women's full international: singles - Sharon Sims (Manawatu); pairs - Sims, Jo Edwards (Nelson); triples - Wendy Jensen (Counties), Val Smith (Nelson), Marlene Castle (Auckland); fours - Jensen, Smith, Castle, Edwards.

Men's under-30s: singles - Jamie Hill (Auckland); pairs - Hill, Ali Forsyth (Nelson); triples - Adam Newman (Wellington), Sean Robertson (Wellington), Glen McDonald (Canterbury); fours - Newman, Forsyth, Robertson, McDonald.

Women's academy: singles - Mary Campbell (Manawatu); pairs - Campbell, Lisa Dickson (Auckland); triples - Doreen Schumacher (Waikato), Marina Khan (Waikato), Mina Paul (Bay of Plenty); fours - Schumacher, Dickson, Khan, Paul.

- NZPA