He will be joining them in Dunedin this week.
Shayne McIlroy: At a glance
Age: 23
Home town: Gisborne
Occupation: Painter and decorator
Club: Stoke (Nelson)
Record: NZ schoolboys champion 2003-04; NZ fours champion 2006; Speight's Invitation Singles champion 2006,2008; Stoke singles champion 2008-09.
Centre titles: 14 (Gisborne (8), Nelson (3), Counties (3).
NZ Representative: 2007-10, Commonwealth Games 2010.
McIlroy (23), a member of the New Zealand triples team at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, has jumped over to the Kelly Gang and will play for them in the fours.
Skip Andrew Kelly is the only original member of the teenage Kelly Gang in his team this year.
The other members of the fours team are Nick Buttar (Onehunga), Chris Le Lievre (Onehunga) and McIlroy.
McIlroy, one of the most promising younger bowlers in the country, was in a composite four with Dwayne Cameron, Shane McGonagle and Ross Thorn when they won the title in Wellington in 2006.
They finished runner-up in Dunedin the following year to Sean O'Neill's composite four from South Canterbury.
McIlroy is also a talented singles player and has won four major singles tournaments in New Zealand over the past four years - the Speight's Invitation Singles at North East Valley in 2006 and 2008 and the Stoke singles in Nelson in 2008 and 2009.
"I have enjoyed a lot of success playing singles," McIlroy said.
"I've just got to grab my opportunities over the next two weeks.
"Every time I've played singles in Dunedin I've done well. I'm looking forward to the contest and hopefully a New Zealand title."
His most significant wins in Dunedin were in the Speight's Invitation Singles.
McIlroy is one of six players to have won the event more that once.
His pairs partner for the nationals, Paul Girdler, won the tournament in 2002.
McIlroy recognises the importance of the national championships.
"It is the pinnacle event of the year," he said.
"It is the place where all the hard work done during the year can pay off."
McIlroy is a member of the Ngatiporou tribe and is one of a few Maori to have excelled at the top level in men's bowls.
"My parents have been my greatest supporters," he said.
"They always tell me to strive to be my best."
No Maori has won the men's singles title at the nationals and McIlroy would like to be the first.
The defending women's singles champion is Jan Khan (Beckenham), the daughter of Millie Khan the greatest Maori female bowler.
McIlroy came to Dunedin early to get used to the cotula greens and spent yesterday morning practising on the North East Valley green.
He partner in the pairs, former Dunedin international Girdler, now works as a bowls manager at the St Johns Park Club in Sydney.
Girdler played 194 internationals for New Zealand and won three medals at World Bowls.
"Paul is an experienced campaigner and knows the Dunedin greens," McIlroy said.
"We will be a solid pair."
McIlroy first represented New Zealand when he won a silver medal in the fours at the Asia and Pacific championships in 2007 and has been a regular since. He won the New Zealand title in 2006 and has won 14 centre titles - eight in Gisborne and three each in Nelson and Counties.
