Bowls: Gold medallist dropped for tests

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Andrew Curtain has been dumped from the New Zealand bowls team for matches against Ireland and the annual transtasman tests.

Curtain, a member of the New Zealand team at last year's World Bowls, where he joined Rowan Brassey and Peter Belliss as a triples gold medallist, has lost his place to 28-year-old Aucklander Kerry Chapman.

It promises to be a tough debut for Chapman at senior level because he will meet Ireland's world outdoor champion, Jeremy Henry, in the March 13-15 test series at the Burnside club in Christchurch.

It will be no easier for Chapman when New Zealand travel to Sydney for the April 24-26 transtasman match. He will probably clash with top-ranked Australian Steve Glasson.

Chapman's elevation to the senior team is the only change in personnel to the New Zealand men's and women's teams who played at World Bowls 2000.

Belliss will again skip the triple, which includes Brassy and Chapman.

The four are unchanged. Belliss (skip) and Brassey (three) are joined by World Bowls pairs bronze medallists Paul Girdler and Russell Meyer.

Girdler and Meyer have been retained as the pairs combination for both internationals.

The women have the same five players, with world indoor singles champion Marlene Castle retained for the singles. Her battle with evergreen Irish international and world outdoor singles champion Margaret Johnston promises to be a highlight.

The world champion triples combination has been split. Jan Khan switches from the pairs to lead for Patsy Jorgensen and Anne Lomas. Sharon Sims switches from the triple to skip the pair with Castle, who skipped Khan at World Bowls, going to lead.

The gold-medal-winning four of Khan, Jorgensen, Sims and Lomas remain intact.

As a lead-up to the Irish tests, the two international sides will play a series against a New Zealand and a Canterbury selection, which will include Curtain and former national singles champion and national squad member Kelvin Scott.

Wellington's Adam Newman will play singles for the national selection and lead for Philip Skoglund in the pairs.

Newman will also play singles and lead for Canterbury's Glen McDonald in the New Zealand under-30 team in their transtasman tests in Sydney.

Australian-based Justin Goodwin will lead for the triple and four, joined in the latter by McDonald, Dwayne Cameron and Sean Johnson. Cameron and Johnson will join Newman in the triples.

The women's teams for the transtasman tests will be named during the Tower national championships in Wellington next month.

Teams.-

Men (to play Ireland, and for the transtasman tests).-

Singles: Kerry Chapman; pairs: Russell Meyer/Paul Girdler; triples: Chapman, Rowan Brassey, Peter Belliss; fours: Meyer, Girdler, Brassey, Belliss.

New Zealand women (to play Ireland).-

Singles: Marlene Castle. Pairs: Castle/Sharon Sims. Triples: Jan Khan, Patsy Jorgensen, Anne Lomas. Fours: Khan, Jorgensen, Sims, Lomas.

Men under-30 (for transtasman).-

Singles: Adam Newman; pairs: Newman/Glen McDonald; triples: Justin Goodwin, Dwayne Cameron, Sean Johnson; fours: Goodwin, McDonald, Cameron, Johnson.

National selections for warm-up matches against Ireland.-

Men, singles: Newman; pairs: Newman/Philip Skoglund; triples: Lance Tasker, Cameron, Johnson; fours: Tasker, Skoglund, Cameron, Johnson; women, singles: Karen Coombe; pairs: Coombe/Jo Edwards; triples: Janet Swallow, Val Smith, Wendy Jensen; fours: Swallow, Smith, Jensen, Edwards.