Birmingham 2022: Bowls England select seven Devon players in 18-strong squad

Seven Devon players have been selected in England's 18-strong bowls squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Natalie Chestney, who won singles gold in 2010, will play in her fourth games at Birmingham alongside husband Jamie who won pairs silver in 2014.

Louis Ridout, Jamie Walker and Sam and Sophie Tolchard who, like Natalie Chestney play for Kings Bowls Club in Torquay, are also selected.

Plymouth's Alison Yearling will play in the visually impaired event.

The bowls events at Birmingham 2022 will take place at Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa from 29 July to 6 August.

"We've always had really strong players coming into the elite team from Devon," Chestney told BBC Sport.

"We've had an incredible junior bowls programme, and lots of the players who are in the team now came through those programmes and it shows how important grass roots sport is for young people."

Home advantage could prove key for England, who will hope to increase on the three bronze medals they won at Gold Coast 2018.

"The chance to play at a home games is incredible and having all the family and my daughter there will be great, as well as being able to play on home greens," Chestney added.

"We've all grown up playing on our greens in the UK and to be able to have the opportunity to understand them like the back of our hand is a huge advantage."

England bowls squad:

Craig Bowler (Bridgmans BC, Bedfordshire), Nick Brett (Brampton BC, Huntingdonshire), Jamie Chestney (Culm Vale BC, Devon), Natalie Chestney (Kings BC, Devon), Sian Honnor (Appleyard BC, Kent), Amy Pharaoh (Cleethorpes BC, Lincolnshire), Gill Platt, (Wonersh BC, Surrey), Louis Ridout (Kings BC, Devon), Kieran Rollings (Kettering Lodge BC, Northamptonshire), Sam Tolchard (Kings BC, Devon), Sophie Tolchard (Kings BC, Devon), Chris Turnbull (Thornton Le Dale, Yorkshire), Jamie Walker (Kings BC, Devon), Michelle White (VCD BC, Kent), Mark Wherry (VI Director Stenalees BC, Cornwall), Sue Wherry (VI Director, St Austell BC, Cornwall), Jamie-Lea Winch (Kingscroft BC, Leicestershire), Alison Yearling (Plymouth Hoe Ladies, Devon)