Lawn bowls: Asia Pacific Champs a good build-up for worlds

Mike Kernaghan from Dunedin. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The world championships will be on the mind of New Zealand's leading men's and women's lawn bowlers when the Asia-Pacific tournament starts tomorrow in Christchurch.

The Asia Pacific Championships will run until Sunday week and features 172 competitors from across 18 countries.

But more importantly, the event at the Burnside and Papanui clubs is viewed as a key tournament for the build-up for the world championships also to be played in Christchurch next year. It is also a qualifying event for the world championships with 10 countries set to receive invitations based on their performance in the Asia Pacific Championships. As host country, New Zealand gains automatic entry along with Australia who were the winning nation from the 2012 world championships in Adelaide

New Zealand head coach and selector Dave Edwards will be keeping a close eye on the top Kiwis along with fellow selectors, long-serving former internationals Sharon Sims and Peter Belliss.

The trio has rung the changes for the national team with the recall of former internationals, Dunedin's Mike Kernaghan who has been in outstanding form in New Zealand domestic events over the last few years, and Gold Coast-based Paul Girdler who has been to the forefront of a number of major events in Australia.

The pair join Mike Nagy, Andrew Kelly & Shannon Mcllroy in the men's team which is missing experienced international Ali Forsyth, the star performer at the recent Australian Premier League where he skipped the Kiwi team to a last bowl victory. Tony Grantham has also missed selection but Edwards has said that New Zealand squad players and other leading competitors who perform well over the summer are still in the frame for world championship selection despite not being in action in Christchurch over the next fortnight. There are a number of events on the domestic and international calendar that will provide opportunity to push for selection

The women's team is led by the leading world ranked and world and Commonwealth Games champions Joe Edwards and Val Smith. They will be joined by seasoned international player Sandra Keith while Canterbury's Angela Boyd makes her debut or New Zealand alongside 19-year-old Katelyn Inch, also of Canterbury. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Mandy Boyd and well-performed 20-year-old Tayla Bruce missed selection but Forsyth and Grantham in the men's squad they will have further chances of selectionover coming months

Australia is considered New Zealand's main opposition. The Aussies will be spending a lot of time in New Zealand as part of their build up to the world championships. They come to Christchurch with an exceptionally strong 10-player side stacked with world and Commonwealth Games champions. It is a strong indication this event is highly placed among build-up tournaments for the world titles. Other strong contenders include Malaysia and Canada but with 18 countries represented, there will be pressure on the leading sides.

The event opens with preliminary rounds of the women's singles and fours and the men's pairs and triples. The second week will concentrate on the men's singles and fours and the women's triples and pairs. Finals for all disciplines will get underway at the Burnside club on Friday week and finish on Sunday December 6. The finals will be covered live by Sky Sport.