Valerie Christine Smith (born 29 July 1965) is an international

lawn bowler Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

from New Zealand.

Bowls career

World Championships

Smith won a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

at the

2004 World Outdoor Bowls Championship The 2004 World Outdoor Bowls Championship was held at the Northfield Bowls Complex in Ayr, Scotland, from 23 July to 7 August 2004 and Victoria Park, Leamington Spa in England one month later. Steve Glasson won the men's singles Gold defeating ...

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

before winning three medals four years later at the 2008 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in the singles and pairs

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

and team event (silver medal) in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. At the 2012 World Outdoor Bowls Championship Val won two Silver Medals, in the Singles and Pairs respectively. In 2016, she won a bronze medal in the fours at the

2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship The 2016 World Outdoor Bowls Championship was held at the Burnside Bowling Club in Avonhead, Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Ch ...

with Angela Boyd,

Katelyn Inch Katelyn Inch (born 19 August 1995) is a New Zealand international lawn bowler. Bowls career World Championships Inch was born in Rangiora and brought up in Oxford, New Zealand. She made her debut for New Zealand in 2015 and won a bronze medal ...

and Kirsten Edwards. In 2020, she was selected for the

2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship The 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship was to be the 14th edition of the World Championships to be held at the Broadbeach Bowls Club, Musgrave Hill Bowls Club and Club Helensvale on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. There were to be ei ...

in Australia but the event was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. In 2023, she was selected as part of the team to represent New Zealand at the

2023 World Outdoor Bowls Championship 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

. She participated in the women's triples and the women's fours events. In the fours, her team won the bronze medal. One week later in the triples (partnering

Tayla Bruce Tayla Bruce (born 22 February 1995) is a New Zealand international lawn bowls player. Bowls career Born in Christchurch in 1995, Bruce plays for the Burnside Bowling Club. She won the 2017 national women's fours title, in a team with Jo Edward ...

and

Leeane Poulson Leeane Poulson (born 1962) is a horse racing trainer and a New Zealand international lawn bowler. Career Poulson won the gold medal in the fours at the 2018 Australian Open. In 2022, Poulson was named as a reserve for the 2022 Commonwealth Gam ...

), the team won the group undefeated before winning a tense quarter final against Malaysia and a semi final against Canada. In the final they met Australia, losing 16–9 but claiming the silver medal.

Commonwealth Games

Smith competed at the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

in Melbourne, the women's triples competition and at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, where she won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the women's singles competition. She competed at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

as part of the women's pairs and women's fours teams. She won a

in the women's fours events alongside teammates

Mandy Boyd Mandy Boyd (born 15 October 1991) is a New Zealand international lawn bowls player. Bowls career Mandy followed her sister Angela Boyd into the sport, and started playing in 2006 while at Napier Girls' High School. Boyd competed at the 2014 Co ...

Selina Goddard Selina Goddard (sometimes called Selina Smith; born 23 July 1994) is a New Zealand international lawn bowls player, playing out of Takapuna Bowling Club. Bowls career Goddard was introduced to the sport at a young age through her parents, who ...

and

Amy McIlroy Amy McIlroy (née Brenton, born 22 March 1991) is a New Zealand lawn bowls player. She competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games as part of the Lawn bowls at the 2014 Commonwealth Games – Women's triples, women's triples and Lawn bowls at the 201 ...

. She was selected as part of the New Zealand team for the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

on the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. In 2022, she competed in the women's triples and the Women's fours at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

. In both the triples and the fours she secured a bronze medal.

Asia Pacific

Smith has won seven medals at the

Asia Pacific Bowls Championships The Asia Pacific Bowls Championships formerly the Pacific Rim Championships was a bowls, lawn bowling competition held between national bowls organisations in the Asia Pacific region. The event was inaugurated in 1985, and it was initially held ...

including four golds, the latest gold being at the 2019 Asia Pacific Bowls Championships in the

Gold Coast, Queensland The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...

National

In addition to her international successes Smith has won seven titles at the

New Zealand National Bowls Championships The New Zealand National Bowls Championships is organised by Bowls New Zealand. Bowls was introduced in New Zealand in 1861 but the first national championships were not held until 1914. Men's singles champions Men's pairs champions Men's fou ...

. She won the pairs four times in 2004 and 2011 (with

Jo Edwards Joanna Edwards (born 5 February 1970) is a New Zealand international lawn bowls competitor. She has won two world titles and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. Bowls career Outdoors At the 2002 Commonwealth Games she won a gold medal along w ...

) and 2019 and 2021 (with Lisa Prideaux) and the fours in 2010, 2017 and 2023.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Val 1965 births Living people New Zealand female bowls players Bowls World Champions Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in lawn bowls Bowls players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Bowls players at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Bowls players at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Bowls players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Bowls players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games