BOWLS: Commonwealth Games selection joy for McCloy, McClure and Kelly

The side was rubber stamped last week, and Kelly, who is handed a singles slot, also teams up with Paul Daly, from Ulster Transport; Whitehead's Marty McHugh and Old Bleach player Neil Booth.

It's hardly a surprise selection as the team performed superbly well in an Eight Nations Invitation tournament, played at the same New Delhi venue, two months ago.

Kelly finished fourth in the singles discipline in the company of some of the world's top performers.

McCloy and McClure were also just out of the medals in the pairs, while Daly, McHugh and Booth suffered a similar fate in the triples.

"I was really disappointed," said Kelly. "I went through the section games unbeaten until my final match – but it didn't matter as I had already qualified for the knockout stages.

"But I missed out on the medals. The conditions were difficult, playing in unbelievable heat.

"However, it was a great learning curve. We'll know what to expect next time.

"I'm just delighted to be given the chance of playing in the Commonwealth Games."

Booth will be hoping to make it another glorious chapter as he has seen it all before in terms of silverware.

The big Old Bleach man said: "I won gold in 1998. Bronze in 2002 and silver in 2006.

"Again, I'm thrilled to be selected and I'm really looking forward to returning to Delhi.

"Competition at the Games is getting more and more difficult – and it would be a dream to return home with another medal.

"The standard of our sport has got measurably higher over the past 10 years. A lot of countries, who would have been described as minnows 10 years ago, are now professional full time bowlers.

"So the bar is being raised every time. However, we are relishing the challenge."