2022 Birmingham Games: Here's when you can watch Natasha Van Eldik bowl for Australian gold

Van Eldik, who still represents Raymond Terrace Bowling Club but is now based at Port Macquarie, is in Birmingham for her fourth Commonwealth Games.

The 31-year-old debuted as a teenager in India in 2010, before a campaign in Glasgow in 2014 and most recently the Gold Coast in 2018.

Birmingham in 2022 sees her playing women's triples and fours.

Van Eldik knows history needs to be made if she's to defend those titles in Birmingham over the next fortnight, going where no Aussie has gone before.

"Australia has never won a [Commonwealth Games] gold medal in the northern hemisphere," she said.

"It's the one medal that's still begging and on everyone's radar. It's exactly what we want. It's the most prepared team we've ever sent to the northern hemisphere so we'll definitely give it a red-hot crack."

Watch the Commonwealth Games coverage online at: 7plus.com.au/commonwealth-games-schedule

Day one - Friday, July 29

Round 1 of women's fours - Australia v Botswana (12pm AEST)

Round 2 of women's fours - Australia v Fiji (Saturday 3am AEST)

Day two - Saturday, July 30

Round 3 of women's fours - Australia v Scotland (12pm AEST)

Day three - Sunday, July 31

Quarter-finals of women's fours - TBC (12pm AEST)

Day four - Monday, August 1

Semi-finals of women's fours - TBC (5:30pm AEST)

Round 1 of women's triples - Australia v Singapore (5:30pm AEST)

Medal matches for women's fours (8:45pm AEST)

Day six - Wednesday, August 3

Round 3 of women's triples - Australia v Falkland Islands (12pm AEST)

Round 4 of women's triples - Australia v South Africa (Thursday 3am AEST)

Day seven - Thursday, August 4

Round 5 of women's triples - Australia v Northern Ireland (12pm AEST)

Quarter-finals of women's triples - TBC (Friday 3am AEST)

Day eight - Friday, August 5

Semi-finals of women's triples - TBC (5:30pm AEST)

Medal matches for women's triples - TBC (Saturday 1:30am AEST)

Earlier story from June 2022

Natasha Van Eldik has punched her ticket to a fourth Commonwealth Games.

The two-time Commonwealth Games gold medal winning lawn bowler will be one of the more experienced members of the 18-person Australian Jackaroos team that will travel to the UK next month for the Birmingham Games.

"It's surreal," Van Eldik said of her selection.

"You put so much effort into preparation for four years, it's a relief when your name is read out and you can celebrate with family and friends.

"But then you know the hard work starts."

The 31 year old athlete, who has made more than 330 international appearances for Australia, claimed her first gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Games in the women's fours alongside Kelsey Cottrell, Carla Krizanic and Rebecca Van Asch.

She backed it up with gold in the triples with Krizanic and Van Asch.

Van Eldik, originally from Raymond Terrace but who has called Port Macquarie home for the past two years, is hopeful of a repeat performance in Birmingham where she will once again compete in the women's triples and fours.

Only Van Asch, 34, from Tasmania, will return with Van Eldik to defend their Commonwealth Games gold medal wins.

In the fours at the 2022 Games Van Eldik and Van Asch will bowl with Queenslander Lyndsay Clarke, 38, and Kristina Krstic, 27, from Western Australia. Birmingham will be Clarke's fourth Games while Krstic is making her debut.

In the women's triples, Van Eldik is teamed up with Van Asch and Clarke.

"Lydney and I have played a little bit together over the years," Van Eldik said. "Kristina has been around the Australian team for eight or nine years now but has never cracked the cut. I've played a little bit with her but not at an international level."

Despite this, Van Eldik is confident in the experience of the women's team.

"No matter where we play, Australia walks around with a target on our backs," she said. "Being the defending champions as well, the target gets bigger.

"All five of us are very confident in our ability to perform. If we do happen to perform all at the same time, there is no country that can stop us.

"There's definitely an expectation that we'll do well over there but all players are very realistic that Australia has never won a gold medal in the Northern Hemisphere in bowls.

"We're very driven to put that to bed. It doesn't matter if it's gold but we have our goals to at least medal over there."

Van Eldik was selected for the Jackaroos team following solid performances at a series of camps held the last 12 months, including a four week tour of the United Kingdom and events staged at Mount Tamborine in Queensland where a green like what bowlers will been competing on in Birmingham has been replicated.

The Jackaroos team was announced at the Trans Tasman Test Series at Mount Tamborine on June 3. Australia won the test series against New Zealand by a landslide.

From the Trans Tasman Test, Van Eldik and many of the Jackaroos team went into the Australian Open on the Gold Coast on June 11.

Van Eldik, who became the first woman to win three singles titles at the Open in 2021, is on the hunt for a fourth singles title.

The Australian Open will wrap up on June 24, two weeks before the Jackaroos fly out to the UK on July 10.

Once in the UK, the Jackaroos will play a series of games against counties, clubs and countries in the lead up to the start of the Commonwealth Games on July 28.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: