Bowls: Teen talent expected to shine at champs

Women's bowls is experiencing a quiet revolution that could turn out a surprise at the New Zealand championships beginning in Wellington on Monday.

Pundits are expecting the championships to feature some talented teens who could take control of the women's game.

The catalyst for the change started when the New Zealand secondary schools championships were held for the first time in 2000.

Bowls was never regarded as a cool game for teenage girls, but that is changing fast and it could be that a younger female claims the honours in the Wellington event.

One of the most exciting prospects is Hawkes Bay schoolgirl Mandy Boyd, who retained her New Zealand secondary schools singles title in Auckland this month.

Boyd has been named in the New Zealand under-25 team for the transtasman series in Auckland in February.

Other younger women who will challenge the established players include New Zealand under-25 representatives Clare McCaul (Wellington), Misty Arnold (Nelson), Amy Brenton (Nelson), Gemma Collett (Nelson) and Kirsten Griffen (Wellington).

The best prospects for the singles title are Boyd, McCaul, who is the singles player in the under-25 team and is ranked fourth on the TAB list, Arnold, Brenton and Griffen, who is the under-20 Kitty Hawks champion.

The big three of Jan Khan, Maria Khan and Val Smith will not willingly surrender their places at the top of New Zealand bowls.

Smith won the World Bowls singles title in Christchurch last year and should start as favourite to win the singles title.

One to watch is Genevieve Baildon (Waikato), who won the Hong Kong women's singles this year.

The defending singles champion is Sue Wightman (Hakaru).

Jan and Maria Khan are the favourites in the pairs but should be challenged by Brenton and Arnold and by Baildon and Wanganui's Karen Coomb.

Coomb is a New Zealand squad member and should not be underestimated.

The fours combination of Coomb, Baildon and the Wellington pair of Claire McCall and Helen King will be hard to beat.

Former world singles champion Peter Belliss is the defending fours champion but he is not expected to challenge the younger men in the singles.

Established international Ali Forsyth (Nelson) is the favourite and he will be challenged by Shannon McIlroy (Nelson), Gary Lawson (Canterbury) and defending champion Richard Collett (Nelson).

Forsyth won the title twice in 2003 and 2004 and was the New Zealand singles player at World Bowls in Christchurch, where he won the bronze medal.

McIlroy has won the Speight's North East Valley Invitation singles twice and knows how to win in a tight competition.

Lawson (44), a double gold medallist at World Bowls in Christchurch last year, first played for the Black Jacks in 1989.

Lawson's goal for the domestic season is to win a New Zealand championship gold medal in the pairs or the fours to equal the record of 10 titles held by the late Nick Unkovich. Collett (29) won his first New Zealand title in the singles last season.

He grew up in Auckland and his father, Colin Collett, was greenkeeper at the local club. He won nine Counties centre titles and four at North Harbour before shifting to Nelson when he returned from this year's training camp in Kuala Lumpur.

The favourites in the men's pairs are internationals Richard Girvan and Forsyth, and Lawson and Dan Delaney.

Lawson has a formidable fours team with Delaney, Kelvin Scott and Canadian international Ryan Bester.

Otago players to watch are Andrew McCullum, Andy McLean, Sam Morton and Ken Walker of Fairfield and North East Valley players Jim and Terry Scott, Shaun Scott, Mark Watt and Doug Thomas.

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NZ Champs at Hutt Bowling Club, Wellington
Events: Men's and women's singles, pairs and fours.
Starts: Monday, December 28.
Finals: Singles and pairs (January 4); fours (January 9).
TAB favourites and odds:
Men's singles, Ali Forsyth ($8), Shannon McIlroy ($8), Gary Lawson ($10, Ryan Bester ($15), Richard Girvan ($15), Justin Goodwin ($15).
Women's singles, Jan Khan ($10), Maria Khan ($10), Val Smith ($12), Clare McCaul ($20), Barbara Crowe ($25), Misty Arnold ($30).

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