Jonty (16), a pupil at Logan Park High School, comes off a successful 2014, when he won two New Zealand secondary school singles titles. He won the small bowl indoor title in Wellington and the outdoor title in Auckland.
The other members of his team this weekend are his brother, Callum (19), Nick Sinclair (19) and Timaru's Tom Taiaroa (16).
''There is a good chemistry in our team,'' Jonty said.
''We are all confident bowlers and are capable of knocking over anybody.''
They will be playing against older and more experienced bowlers who will test their temperament.
But the teenagers have a formidable record in national competition that has given them confidence.
Callum Horwell won two national secondary school pairs titles, in 2011 and 2012, and Sinclair has reached post-section play in the national Kittyhawk competition. Taiaroa was a beaten semifinalist in last year's New Zealand secondary school singles championships in Auckland.
But it will not be an easy task for the teenagers, because this year's Festival Fours has attracted some strong combinations.
It includes the Dunedin composite four of Bobby Johnson, Regan Larkin, Nigel Birkbeck and John Cross that won the event when it was last held two years ago.
The event was not held last year because the New Zealand open championships was held in Dunedin at the same time.
Another strong composite team will be skipped by former international Ken Walker (Taieri), who has won 31 Bowls Dunedin titles. In the team are Ross Munro (Forbury Park), who had a successful PBA season last winter, brother Donald (Avon, Christchurch) and Robert Wilson (Clydevale).
The Festival Fours was the event in which Walker cut his teeth when he was a young bowler in the late 1970s. He played with his father in a St Clair team.
Another formidable Dunedin composite team will be skipped by Rodney Fleming (Forbury Park). It includes brother Steve and Kaikorai bowlers Craig McCaw and Steve Wilson.
Graeme Allan (Kaikorai) skips a composite team that includes Dan O'Leary (Kaikorai), Mike Cranston (North East Valley) and Peter Wilson (Forbury Park).
Out of town teams include Bruce Kelly (Oamaru) and Tony Cockerill (Gore).
The numbers for the 58th edition of the event are not as big as a decade ago. But this has been the trend for events organised by clubs over recent years.
Tournament secretary Bryan Buchanan is pleased with the high quality of the field.
''We have 32 entries and will occupy greens at Kaikorai and Balmacewen over the next two days,'' he said.
''We are pleased with that because the climate has changed and numbers for any tournaments are not as great as they used to be.
''I am very happy with the quality of the bowlers playing. We have some outstanding teams and I'm blown away by the quality of the field.''
The event was first held in 1955 by the Kaituna Bowling Club and has been organised by Kaikorai since 2005 after Kaituna went into recess.
The format has changed this year. Eight 12-end games will be played by all teams and the winner of the $2000 first prize is decided on a points system. Mixed teams are allowed and Barbara Walker (Fairfield) has entered a women's team.
Teams get 20 points for a win and 10 for a draw, and one point for each end won.
