With an eye on the future, the best of New Zealand’s youthful talent will be on display at the inaugural 2023 Oceania Challenge - with selectors naming a 10-person team to take to the greens at Blockhouse Bay in April.

The Oceania Challenge may include teams from Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Norfolk Island, Niue, Fiji, Cook Island, Tokelau, Australia and both a U26 New Zealand side, and NZ Māori contingent. The format will see players selected in singles and fours, and triples and pairs combinations - with the playing order yet to be determined by the selection panel.

Headlined by open high performance squad members Seamus Curtin and Finbar McGuigan, the New

Zealand set-up will also feature debut performances from Auckland’s David Motu, Waikato’s Taylor Horn and South Canterbury’s Tom Taiaroa.

In recent seasons, all five have impressed - and Bowls New Zealand National Head Coach Mike Kernaghan says he is looking forward to seeing them, and the five women, ply their trade in the coming months.

“It’s a great mix of talent and experience, and (I’m sure) they’ll see this as an opportunity to impress, not only me, but selectors and other people in the high-performance programme . . . essentially that’s what it’s all about,” Kernaghan said.

Meanwhile, the women’s selections features Ashleigh Jeffcoat - also a member of the New Zealand High Performance Squad, Briar Atkinson, Caitlin Thomson, Olivia Mancer and Henrietta Scott - all showing plenty of promise at recent events, including the Summerset Nationals in Auckland.

“With the exception of Ashleigh, this group are relatively new bowlers, but are already getting runs on the board. Three of them were at the U26 Burnside Singles, and they were all impressive . . . equally starting to raise their hands a wee bit and moving up the trajectory.

“Again, on the face of it, we’ve got four women between 18 and 20 - all at the beginnings of what, (hopefully), will be quite a fruitful bowling career for them - including Ashleigh. Similar to Selina (Goddard), Nicole (Toomey), Katelyn (Inch), Tayla (Bruce) - who all played in their respective U25 team back in the day and have gone on to achieve big things in the sport - with the right commitment, opportunities, and right coaching, who knows . . . we may have another group coming through, so that’s quite an exciting prospect.”

The 2023 Oceania Challenge will be held from 14-17 April at Blockhouse Bay Bowling Club, Auckland.

-Sam Morton

New Zealand U26 Team

Oceania Challenge, 14-17 April 2023

Men

Seamus Curtin              Wellington
Taylor Horn                   Waikato
Finbar McGuigan          Wellington
David Motu                   Auckland
Tom Taiaroa                 South Canterbury

Women

Briar Atkinson               Taranaki
Ashleigh Jeffcoat          Auckland
Olivia Mancer                Manawatu
Henrietta Scott              Hawkes Bay
Caitlin Thomson Bay of Plenty