Darby (20), a Dunedin barman, is one of three qualifiers for the event from the home club.
The others are Doug Thomas and Roger Stevens.
"It’s a big event for me," Darby said.
"It will be tough. But I’m excited because I’ve always wanted to play against the best."
Darby, who started bowls at the Temuka club at the age of 12, won the South Canterbury champion of champions singles before coming to Dunedin.
When he was a pupil at Timaru Boys’ High School, he won the New Zealand secondary schools singles title in 2013.
He was runner-up in the Burnside Club’s under-26 invitation singles in Christchurch in 2014.
Darby admitted being nervous at the prospect of playing against the best bowlers in Australasia at the weekend.
"I’m not the red-hot favourite so there will be no pressure on me to perform. I’ve got nothing to lose and will just play my natural game."
He became interested in bowls from a young age when he watched his grandfather, Peter Darby, in action at the Temuka club green.
Darby came to Dunedin three years ago to study hospitality and management at the Otago Polytechnic.
He faces a top-class field of 32 bowlers that includes four members of the Black Jacks World Bowls team and three top Australians.
The Black Jacks are Mike Kernaghan (Dunedin), Shannon McIlroy (Nelson), Mike Nagy (Auckland) and Australian-based Ali Forsyth.
The Australians are Barrie Lester, Scott Thulborn and Ben Twist.
Lester (34), who has been selected in the Australian World Bowls team, has been drawn in the tough second section that also includes Kernaghan, Forsyth and McIlroy.
Three players from each of the four sections qualify for post-section play.
This means at least one of the four World Bowls players will miss out.
Brett Wilkie last year became the third Australian to win the event when he beat countryman Aaron Wilson 25-14 in the final.
Mark Casey also made the semifinals.
Casey and Wilson have been selected in the Australian World Bowls team.
The Speight’s-sponsored event has the most prize money for a bowls tournament run by a club in New Zealand and is the most prestigious singles event in the country.
The prize money at stake this year is $16,000 and the winner’s purse is $5300.
The New Zealand TAB has opened a book on the event.
An important aspect of the history of the tournament is the gallery of winners in the North East Valley clubrooms.
The caricatures have been painted by Canadian bowler John Parson.
At a glance
26th Speight’s Invitation Singles
Venue: North East Valley Bowling Club, October 21-24.
Times: Friday (from 1.15pm), Saturday and Sunday (from 8.30am); Sunday (post-section from 2.45pm); Monday (quarterfinals 8.30am, semifinals 11.30am, final 2.30pm)
Key section play match-ups: Friday: Mike Kernaghan (NZ) v Shannon McIlroy (NZ), start 1.15pm. Saturday: Barrie Lester (Australia) v Ali Forsyth (NZ), Shaun Scott (Dunedin) v Gary Lawson (Christchurch), Tony Grantham (Auckland) v Ben Twist (Australia) all at 2.30pm. Sunday: Shannon McIlroy (NZ) v Barrie Lester (Australia) 11.30am.
