Bowls: Lawson recalled after long break

Mercurial bowler Gary Lawson has been recalled to the national men's team for the transtasman clash in Sydney next month.

Lawson, 37, last played for his country in the test series against Australia in 1997 and has been brought back to skip the triples and fours - just as he did then.

The New Zealand Gold Star holder won seven national titles between 1989 and 1997, including four wins in five years in the fours.

He made his debut in the third test against Britain in Auckland in the 1990-91 season, and became a fixture in the international team from 1993 to the 1997.

In that time, he also won Asia Pacific gold medals in pairs and fours, silver in singles and triples, a fours bronze in the 1996 world championships, and went to the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.

Convener of selectors Peter Shaw, who played with Lawson on the national and international stage, said the time was right to welcome Lawson back.

"He is as passionate about the game as ever," Shaw said.

"And, over the past 18 months or so, he has built a compelling case for recall with a string of high-quality performances at national level.

"The men's nationals just completed show what he is capable of, making the semis in the singles, finishing runner-up in the pairs, and also making the fours final.

"And people expecting fireworks of all kinds will have seen that he lets his bowls do all the talking now."

Lawson will spend the next fortnight in Europe, competing with Adam Newman in the world indoor pairs championships in England, then taking a short break. He will go straight to Sydney for the Australian tests, which begin on February 4.

From the seven who went to the Manchester Commonwealth Games, Andrew Curtain is unavailable because of work commitments and Peter Belliss has retired from international competition.

Even so, the selectors had little room for manoeuvre as the transtasman format calls for teams of five doubling up in two disciplines each.

Mike Kernaghan is the unlucky player to make room for Lawson.

The Dunedin player won bronze in the singles in Manchester, but 30-year-old Russell Meyer, now based in Australia, will play singles in Sydney, as well as reforming his pairs partnership with Paul Girdler.

"We are taking the opportunity to widen the net in the run-up to the world champs in Scotland in 2004," Shaw said. "Mike is most definitely still in the frame."

Rowan Brassey will lead the triples and fours, with Wanganui's Sean Johnson, also 30, retained in the engineroom to play at No 2 in each discipline.

Girdler will skip the pair at what is now his home club after moving there to play professionally 12 months ago, and will also play No 3 in Lawson's four.

In the development side, selected at under-30 level, newly-crowned national singles champion Ali Forsyth has forced his way into contention and will make his international debut.

New Zealand teams:

Men's international team:

Singles - Russell Meyer (Warilla, NSW).

Pairs - Meyer, Paul Girdler (St Johns Park, NSW) (S).

Triples - Rowan Brassey (Avondale), Sean Johnson (Aramoho), Gary Lawson (Hornby Domain) (S).

Fours - Brassey, Johnson, Girdler, Lawson (S).

Men's under-30 team:

Singles - Jamie Hill (Avondale).

Pairs - Ali Forsyth (United), Hill (S).

Triples - Adam Newman (Victoria), Sean Robertson (Victoria), Glen McDonald (Riccarton Racecourse) (S).

Fours - Newman, Forsyth, Robertson, McDonald (S). NZPA