National representative Neville Frost (Caversham) is one of the top-ranked players in the New Zealand senior doubles championships in Dunedin this weekend.
The championships are the first major petanque tournament to be held in Dunedin and have attracted 32 teams.
Frost (61), the corporate services manager for Dunedin Venues Management Ltd, started playing petanque at the New Zealand Masters Games in 2006 with his wife Stefany.
He has now become one of the elite seniors (over 60) in New Zealand.
He is paired with Shirley Selwyn (Wanganui East), his doubles partner in the New Zealand seniors team.
They are ranked fourth for this weekend's event.
The top-ranked team is Bob Bridge (Masterton) and Clive Bartleet (Auckland), followed by Graeme Morris (Masterton) and Pete Hamilton (Wanganui East), and John Targett (Christchurch) and Charles Brock (Auckland).
The event is a qualifying tournament to pick the New Zealand seniors team of six men and six women to play Australia in May next year.
It is being organised by the Caversham club and is being held at the Forbury Park car park because the Caversham club piste is too small to host a national tournament.
The other top Otago player in the event is Janet Goodin (Caversham), who will team with Shirley MacDonald (Horowhenua). They are ranked sixth.
Alexandra's Marilyn and Colin Bunce are ranked 13th and Caversham's Roy Harry-Young and Branko Cvjetan are ranked 19th.
Six rounds will be played today from 8.30am and the top eight will play an elimination event tomorrow.
