Dunedin bowler Keanu Darby would once have been considered the baby of the New Zealand bowls team.
This year, he is merely one of the fresh-faced brigade taking the sport into a new era.
The youngest Black Jacks squad in New Zealand history is in Malaysia for the Lawn Bowls World Cup next week.
There are two bowlers in their 20s and four in their 30s in a squad with an average age of just 30.
Darby is 29 and Finbar McGuigan 25, Katelyn Inch is 30, Selina Goddard and Teri Blackbourn are both 31 and Kurt Smith is the old head at 35.
Bowls New Zealand head coach and Otago great Mike Kernaghan said selectors were looking forward to seeing the emerging stars on the global stage.
"It is a young team in terms of age but there’s plenty of experience in the squad and we’ll be pushing for strong results," Kernaghan said.
"We’re excited for the competition and ready to show what we’re capable of."
The World Cup features 12 countries with matches to be played across men’s and women’s singles and pairs, as well as para singles and para mixed pairs.
The competition will be played on portable indoor rinks with carpet used as the playing surface, mirroring the conditions for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Goddard will contest the women’s singles, as well as the pairs event alongside Inch.
"I’m pretty happy with how I’m playing at the moment and I’m looking forward to the competition," Goddard said.
"Carpet is a bit of a different game to playing on grass, so it’ll be really beneficial to get some competition experience on that surface.
"It’s also really exciting to be playing against the top 12 nations in the world. These are the exact players I want to be competing against right now so it’s going to be a great challenge."
Goddard, who was just 20 when she won Commonwealth Games bronze in the fours in 2014, will earn her 150th cap for New Zealand in the third game of the tournament.
Black Jacks
The team
Kurt Smith (New Plymouth), Teri Blackbourn (Hamilton), Selina Goddard (North Harbour), Katelyn Inch (Canterbury), Keanu Darby (Dunedin), Finbar McGuigan (Wellington)
