KEY POINTS:
Young New Zealand-born Kelsey Cottrell, who has been surprising bowls experts with her skills and success across the Tasman, is in the Australian team for January's world championships in Christchurch.
Schoolgirl Cottrell, 17, who lives in Queensland, will be in the singles hot-seat. She is the youngest to wear green and gold at a world championship.
Auckland-born Cottrell returned to New Zealand at 14 to lead in a Queensland four who reached the quarter-finals in the national championships.
She will be youngest player to take on the tough singles role in any full international event. But she is used to breaking new ground.
She was the youngest player, at 15, to play for Australia when she contested the 2005 Asia Pacific championships.
She was also part of the three-member team that won the inaugural World Team Cup in May.
She has been the standout singles player on Bowls Australia's grand prix circuit this year, winning two of the four major events she played in and finishing runner-up in another.
She now heads the national singles rankings.
- NZPA
