Tayla Bruce
{{short description|New Zealand lawn bowls player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Tayla Bruce
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|22 February 1995}}
| birth_place = Christchurch, New Zealand
| height = 1.78 m
| weight = 72 kg
| country = New Zealand
| sport = Lawn bowls
| club = Burnside Bowling Club
| highestranking = 2 (August 2024){{cite web|url=https://worldbowlsseries.com/female-rankings/ |title=Female rankings |publisher=World Bowls Series |access-date=28 June 2024}}
| nationals = Singles champion (2022)
Pairs champion (2023)
Fours champion (2017, 2020)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Women's lawn bowls}}
{{MedalCountry |{{NZL}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|World Outdoor Championships}}
{{MedalGold| 2023 Gold Coast|singles}}
{{MedalSilver | 2023 Gold Coast | triples}}.
{{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}}
{{MedalBronze|2022 Birmingham|fours}}
{{MedalBronze | 2022 Birmingham|triples }}
{{MedalCompetition|World Champion of Champions}}
{{MedalGold| 2022 Wellington|singles}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Bowls Indoor Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|2025 Aberdeen|singles}}
}}
Tayla Bruce (born 22 February 1995) is a New Zealand international lawn bowls player. She reached a career high ranking of world number 2 in August 2024.{{cite web|url=https://worldbowlsseries.com/female-rankings/ |title=Female rankings |publisher=World Bowls Series |access-date=9 March 2025 }}
Bowls career
Born in Christchurch in 1995, Bruce plays for the Burnside Bowling Club.{{cite web |url=https://olympic.org.nz/athletes/tayla-bruce |title=Tayla Bruce |website=Olympic.org.nz |publisher=New Zealand Olympic Committee}} She won the 2017 national women's fours title, in a team with Jo Edwards, Val Smith, and Kirsten Edwards.{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/90306782/classy-sean-oneill-and-tayla-bruce-takes-nz-club-singles-title-at-taieri |title=Classy Sean O'Neill and Tayla Bruce takes NZ club singles title at Taieri |publisher=Stuff.co.nz}}{{cite web |url=https://bowlstawa.nz/titles/orgs/titles/2/w |title=New Zealand Championships |publisher=Bowls Tawa}} At the annual Canterbury awards, she was named as sportswoman of the year and young player of the year.{{cite web |url=https://www.star.kiwi/2017/06/top-bowls-club/ |title=Top bowls club revealed at awards |publisher=Star.kiwi}}
She was selected as part of the New Zealand team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland.{{cite web |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11982551 |title=Bowls: New Zealand team named for Commonwealth Games |publisher=New Zealand Herald}}
A second national fours title was secured in 2020, playing alongside Sandra Keith, Clare Hendra, and Selina Smith.{{cite web |url=https://bowlsnewzealand.co.nz/event-news/record-extending-14th-national-title-for-gary-lawson/ |title=Record-extending 14th national title for Gary Lawson |website=Bowls New Zealand}} During the same year she was selected for the 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Australia but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |url=https://bowlsnewzealand.co.nz/event-news/blackjacks-selected-for-world-championships-2020/ |title=Blackjacks Selected for World Championships 2020 |publisher=Bowls New Zealand}}
In 2022, she won her third national title after securing the singles crown.{{cite web |url=https://bowlsnewzealand.co.nz/news/tayla-bruce-crowned-national-singles-champ-at-home-green/ |title=Tayla Bruce crowned National Singles Champ, at home green. |website=Bowls New Zealand |access-date=28 February 2022}} Also in 2022, she competed in the women's triples and the women's fours at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.{{cite web|url=https://results.birmingham2022.com/#/athlete-details/53081|title=Official Games profile|publisher=2022 Commonwealth Games|access-date=4 August 2022}} She won double bronze; in the triples playing with Nicole Toomey and Val Smith and in the fours, playing with Selina Goddard, Toomey and Smith.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/commonwealth-games/62440457 |title=England beat Malaysia to win women's triple lawn bowls gold |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=15 January 2023}} In November 2022, she won the gold medal at the World Singles Champion of Champions in Wellington, New Zealand.{{cite web|url=https://www.bowlsengland.com/sam-tolchard-crowned-world-champion-of-champions-champion/ |title=Tolchard crowned World Champion of Champions champion| publisher=England Bowls |access-date=25 November 2022}}
In January 2023, Bruce won the New Zealand National Bowls Championships women's pairs title with Clare Hendra.{{cite news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/women-in-sport/130931812/world-champion-tayla-bruce-caps-phenomenal-year-with-national-pairs-title-alongside-clare-hendra |title=World champion Tayla Bruce caps phenomenal year with national pairs title alongside Clare Hendra |date=9 January 2023 |work=Stuff |access-date=10 January 2023}}
Also in 2023, she was selected again as part of the team to represent New Zealand at the 2023 World Outdoor Bowls Championship.{{cite web |url=https://bowlsinternational.keypublishing.com/competitors-confirmed-world-bowls-outdoor-championships/ |title=COMPETITORS CONFIRMED: WORLD BOWLS OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023 |website=Bowls International |date=5 June 2023 |access-date=2 September 2023}} She participated in the women's singles and the women's triples events.{{cite web|url=https://www.worldbowls.com/events-list/ |title=Events and Results, World Championships 2023 Gold Coast, Australia |publisher=World Bowls |access-date=2 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://world2023.bowls.com.au/event-info/schedule/ |title=SCHEDULE & DRAWS |publisher=Bowls Australia |access-date=2 September 2023}} In the singles, Bruce won her group undefeated before reaching the semi-final, where she beat Ellen Ryan to set up a final against Kelly McKerihen. In the final, Bruce defeated McKerihen, 21–18.{{cite news |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/300963433/its-just-unreal-canterburys-tayla-bruce-wins-world-title-in-lawn-bowls |title='It's just unreal': Canterbury's Tayla Bruce wins world title in lawn bowls |date=3 September 2023 |work=Stuff |access-date=3 September 2023}} In the triples (partnering Val Smith and Leeane Poulson), 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.
After winning the 2024 New Zealand national indoor singles she subsequently won the bronze medal at the 2025 World Bowls Indoor Championships in Aberdeen.{{cite web|url=https://www.bowls.com.au/2025-world-bowls-indoor-championships-final-day-recap/ |title=2025 World Bowls Indoor Championships: Final day recap |publisher=Bowls Australia |access-date=26 April 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{NZOC profile}}
- {{2018 Commonwealth Games profile|lawn-bowls/athlete-profile-n6022778-tayla-bruce}}
- {{2022 Commonwealth Games profile|53081}}
{{2018 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}
{{2022 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Tayla}}
Category:New Zealand female bowls players
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in lawn bowls
Category:Bowls players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Category:Bowls players at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
Category:Bowls World Champions