Lawson set for Blackjacks return

Gary Lawson has returned to the Bowls New Zealand fold for the first time in almost a decade.

The double world champion last played for New Zealand in 2009, when the Blackjacks four he skipped was accused of throwing an end at the Asia Pacific championships in Malaysia and he was suspended for six months.

He is still a force domestically, amassing a record 13 national titles, and has been included in an overhauled high performance squad, selected with an eye to next year’s world championships.

In 2017, Lawson told Stuff he would love to represent his country again, and Bowls NZ selector Peter Belliss said he was looking forward to the veteran’s return.

Lawson is one of 10 men in the high performance squad, with reigning world champions Shannon Mcilroy and Ali Forsyth the only survivors from last year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, where the Kiwi men didn’t win a medal.

Paul Girdler has announced his international retirement, Mike Nagy has made himself unavailable for the first six months of the year and Blake Signal has missed out on selection.

‘‘Blake has been a very good player for us, but on occasions hasn’t quite played as well as he would have liked,’’ Belliss said.

The women’s high performance squad is headlined by Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jo Edwards and also features a mix of new and familiar faces.

Lisa Prideaux has been named for the first time, along with Sarah Scott.

Prideaux won the national women’s pairs title with longtime Blackjack Val Smith last week, while Scott made the semifinals of the women’s singles.

Singles runner-up Selina Goddard has been recalled, as has Kirsten Edwards and Wendy Jensen, while singles champion Debbie White has been named in the talent development squad.

Belliss and fellow selectors Bowls NZ high performance squad

Women: Tayla Bruce (Burnside), Jo Edwards (United & Pine Rivers), Kirsten Edwards (Stoke), Selina Goddard (Carlton Cornwall), Katelyn Inch (Oxford & Broadbeach), Wendy Jensen (Orewa), Lisa Prideaux (Merrylands), Sarah Scott (Te Rangi), Val Smith (United & Merrylands).

Men: Seamus Curtin (Stokes Valley), Ali Forsyth (Nelson & Clayton), Jamie Hill (Eastbourne & Onehunga), Taylor Horn (Mangere), Andrew Kelly (Canterbury), Mike Kernaghan (North East Valley), Jordan King (Mangere), Gary Lawson (Eastbourne), Chris Le Lievre (Musgrave Hill), Shannon Mcilroy (Stoke).

Bowls NZ talent development squad

Women: Cait Bassett (Burnside), Kimberley Hemingway (Hillcrest & Carlton Cornwall), Clare Hendra (Silverstream), Tessa Hocking (Burnside), Ashleigh Jeffcoat (Frankton Railway), Leeane Poulson (Papakura), Natasha Russell (Merrylands), Bronwyn Stevens (Te Rangi), Nicole Toomey (Victoria), Debbie White (Hinuera).

Men: Sheldon Bagrie-howley (Gore), Keanu Darby (North East Valley), Bradley Down (Victoria), Tony Grantham (Browns Bay), Richard Hocking (Burnside), Caleb Hope (Gore), Ray Martin (Victoria), Finbar Mcguigan (Stokes Valley), Daryl Read (Belmont Park), Alex Reed (Point Chevalier), Blake Signal (Stokes Valley & Nelson Bay), Rory Soden (Browns Bay), Aiden Takarua (Point Chevalier), Mark Watt (Nelson Bay).

Phil Skoglund and Marlene Castle will now turn their attentions to picking the Blackjacks squad for the Asia-pacific championships

in June. It doubles as a qualifying event for next year’s world championships and will also be staged on the Gold Coast.