What started as a way to rebuild life after tragedy has led Tauranga’s Alexandra Bishop to one of the biggest opportunities of her sporting career.

Less than two years after picking it up, the Bowls Matua member has been selected to represent New Zealand at the 2027 Blind Lawn Bowls World Championships in Auckland, a milestone she never imagined when she first tried bowls at a disability sports weekend in Tauranga in 2024.

“It’s a bit of a dream come true,” Bishop said.

Bowls entered the vision-impaired bowler’s life during a difficult period after her husband died of brain cancer in January 2024.

She said the sport had given her purpose, support and a sense of belonging she had not expected.

“I was widowed, and it was just sort of a situation where I felt full of despair, then bowls came along, and I never realised there’s actually a lot of help, opportunities and support.”

While it was the challenge and strategy of bowls that initially caught her attention, it was the people she met that kept her coming back.

Bishop said she had been overwhelmed by the support she received from coaches and fellow members at Bowls Matua.

“This is my club now; I belong here, everybody is so supportive and we support each other.

“It’s just become like a family for me.”

Marg Davies acts as Bishop’s eyes during competition. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

Bishop was diagnosed as a teenager with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition similar to macular degeneration that gradually affects central vision.

She retains some peripheral vision and can detect movement.

“I don’t have central vision; everything is a blur for me and I cannot see anything further than about 5 metres.”

She said bowls demanded intense concentration and discipline because so much depended on precision and repetition.

“There’s a lot of strategy involved, and it’s up to me to play the perfect bowl, keep it still, keep focused, feet in position, because I can’t see.”

Bishop will compete in the B2 classification at the world championships, a category for athletes with partial sight.

She expects the challenge to be “full on”.

“We need to be really fit in the way we think, I have to work really hard at that, and always have a positive attitude, you cannot let one bad ball influence you.”

Alexandra Bishop (right) will represent New Zealand at the 2027 Blind Lawn Bowls World Championships in Auckland with her director Marg Davies (left). Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

The road to the world championships will not be travelled alone.

Vision-impaired bowlers compete alongside a director, who assists with information about shot selection, direction, distance and the position of bowls on the green.

For Bishop, that person is experienced director Marg Davies, who has spent about a decade working with vision-impaired bowlers.

Bishop said she was “so happy” when Davies was selected as her director because it’s not always guaranteed.

“I’m selected as the player, and then the selectors will select the right director for me, so when we got the call it was Marg, I was yelling; I was so happy.

“Without Marg I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Davies said her role involved helping Bishop select shots and make directional adjustments while ensuring the bowler remained in control of the delivery.

Bishop said the strategic and mental aspects of bowls initially attracted her to the sport. Photo / Kaitlyn Morrell

“My role is to assist Alex by giving her the length of a jack, description of her bowl, line her up with a bowl to where she has to deliver, whether it’s a backhand or a forehand.

“I describe things, and I’m continually talking.”

She said Bishop has been “really great” to direct because she was so fit.

“I just have to keep her focused and listening to me because her mind is the busiest part.”

Davies believes Bishop’s national selection is a reflection of just how quickly she has developed since discovering the sport.

“She’s really a brand new bowler as far as bowling years go. The ability is there, we’ve just got to control it and get it to do the right thing.”

Bishop hopes to challenge for a medal when the world championships are held in Auckland, but she said simply wearing the silver fern would be a career highlight.

“I just want to be there and wear the New Zealand uniform. I can’t wait.”

And while the world championships are her immediate focus, she already has her sights on what might come next.

“I don’t want it to just stop at the World Champs. There is always the Commonwealth Games, and bowls might be part of the Olympics, but that’s in the future.”

For now, Bishop is concentrating on making the most of an opportunity that seemed unimaginable only a short time ago, when she was searching for a way forward after loss.

Today, she is preparing to represent her country on the world stage.