Bowls: Three Whanganui players in NZ Over 60's team

Ray Park has been selected in the NZ Over 60's team to compete with their Australian counterparts on the Gold Coast in November.

Whanganui will have strong representation in the New Zealand Over 60's team that will contest the Trans-Tasman test series with Australia in November, with both locals and an expat named across the two squads.

A national selection panel in Philip Skoglund, Marlene Castle and Whanganui's own Peter Belliss convened to choose the five-strong men's and women's teams, although Belliss abstained from selecting the women's team due to a local conflict of interest, with Blackjacks coach Sharon Sims filling in.

Bowls NZ's High Performance manager Kaushik Patel said the panel was overwhelmed with the quality of the nominations, with 35 players considered for the men's team and 24 for the women.

"The selection panel took just as long to select this team as they normally do for the Blackjacks, so it wasn't an easy process and there were some robust discussions that took place."

Aramoho Bowling Club's Reen Stratford will take on the singles berth and skip the pairs for the women's team that will head to the Gold Coast in November for singles, doubles, triples and fours games.

Reen Stratford.

In the men's side, Wanganui Bowling Club's Raymond Park is in the triples and the fours for the men's team, while Tauranga's Lance Tasker, a former member of the old Castlecliff Bowling Club, which is now Gonville-Castlecliff, will be in the pairs and the fours.

Queenstown's Neil Buchanan has been appointed as the team manager and coach of both squads.

The Over 60's side will compete alongside their Blackjacks and NZ Development counterparts at the Trans-Tasman test series, taking on the Senior Jackaroos from November 25-27.

Patel said those that missed out on selection should keep their hand up for the future.

"In consideration that the Over 60's team will more than likely partake in future Trans-Tasman test series, the selection panel will be paying more attention to this age group when they are out and about at the Bowls NZ Summer of Bowls events."

The New Zealand Over 60's teams are:

Men – Singles: Kevin Robinson (Tokoroa); Pairs: Robinson (s), Lance Tasker (Tauranga); Triples: Rob Ashton (s) (Johnsonville), Raymond Park (Wanganui), David Archer (Taieri); Fours: Ashton (s), Park, Tasker, Archer.

Women – Singles: Reen Stratford (Aramoho); Pairs: Stratford (s), Serena Matthews (Southbridge); Triples: Margaret O'Connor (s) (Queenstown), Beverley Corbett (Hinuera), Christine Buchanan (Queenstown); Fours: O'Connor (s), Corbett, Matthews, Buchanan.

Manager/Coach: Neil Buchanan (Queenstown).