AUSTRALIA proved too good for New Zealand in a three day international event on the weekend with the Australian national team facing New Zealand's best on Tamborine Mountain.
The Trans Tasman Test Series took place at Club Tamborine on a specially prepared green that saw the bowls travel slower than southern hemisphere athletes are used to.
The contest served another purpose for elite players, proving the ideal training ground for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham England next month.
Tamborine Mountain Bowls Club acting president Darren Rowe said the series was run nationally and included national champions including vision impaired and para bowlers.
"We know the rivalry between Australia and New Zealand is second to none and there was a little bit of banter come out at the speeches," he said.
"What we've done here is slow our greens down. Normally a good bowls green will run at 15, 16 seconds and we've reduced this down to 11 or 12 seconds, similar to what we'll get in Birmingham when the Commonwealth Games teams go over there."
Mr Rowe said neither team stayed on the mountain, choosing instead to stay on the Gold Coast to mimic the 45 minute travelling time they will need to get to the Games venue from their accommodation in England.
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On Saturday Bowls New Zealand president Ann Wright said the team had enjoyed playing on Tamborine Mountain.
"Its been wonderful, the voluntary people around the club have been making us so welcome," she said.
"The weather's been beautiful once that fog lifted this morning and we've just been and had a beautiful lunch just around the corner so everything's been lovely."
Australian Bowls president Bob Boorman agreed.
"From Australia's point of view it's been great to have a green running at this pace," he said.
"It's similar to what we'll find in England so it's fantastic of the club to have got a green prepared for us and we'll so very grateful."
The Commonwealth Games will be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8.
