Tauranga's Dan Dickison has been rewarded for an outstanding season by being named in the North Island team for the new televised challenge against South Island in Dunedin from September 3-5.

He will be joined by Tauranga clubmate Graham Skellern, who is the male Para representative in the North team.

They join the cream of New Zealand's bowlers in a Ryder Cup-style contest of fours, pairs and singles played in the indoor stadium. Performances there will count for selection in the New Zealand sides competing in the Trans-Tasman test series and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Dickison was handed his national opportunity after sweeping the greens around the country this season. At home, he won a unique five Centre titles - the open and champion of champions singles, the open pairs and triples, and the Bowls 3Five event.

He skipped Nick Tomsett to the semi-finals of the national pairs in Auckland, and then went on an unbeaten run with Steve Hughes, John O'Shea and Lance Tasker to win the Taranaki Open Fours.

Skellern won the national disabled pairs title this season, and will join Waikato's Lynda Bennett in the pairs at Dunedin.

The North Island team is:

Men: Seamus Curtin, Finbar McGuigan, Ray Martin (Wellington); Dickison; Jamie Hill, Michael Galloway, Rory Soden (Auckland); Chris Le Lievre (Gold Coast); Skellern.

Women: Clare Hendra, Nicole Toomey, Dale Rayner (Wellington); Selina Smith (North Harbour); Leanne Poulson (Counties Manukau); Ashleigh Jeffcoat, Lisa Prideaux (Auckland); Debbie White, Lynda Bennett ( Waikato)

South Island:

Men: Sheldon Bagrie-Howley, Keanu Darby (Southland); Mike Kernaghan (Dunedin); Lance Pascoe, Gary Lawson, Andrew Kelly, Bruce Wakefield (Canterbury); Shannon McIlroy (Nelson); Ali Forsyth (Victoria).

Women: Jo Edwards, Val Smith, Kirsten Edwards (Nelson); Tayla Bruce, Mandy Boyd (Canterbury); Bronwyn Stevens (Southland); Sarah Scott (Dunedin); Katelyn Inch (Gold Coast); Pam Walker (Central Otago).

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