Dunedin's Ann Sharp started her international career in style by qualifying for the knockout phase of the world golf croquet championships in Melbourne this week.
Sharp (62) won four of her games and finished second in the group behind Iman Elfaransawl (Egypt), who won six games.
Sharp narrowly lost the first round in the knockout phase to Sarah Riad (Egypt) 6-7, 7-6, 6-7.
She started playing croquet nine years ago and tried the shorter version of the game a year later and liked it.
Sharp made her mark at the national level two years ago when she won the New Zealand veterans' golf croquet title.
As a result, she was named in the New Zealand training squad of 15 and impressed the selectors during a training camp in Napier this year enough to be named in the New Zealand team of 11 for the world championships.
She is the only representative from Otago in the team.
