State Selectors Announce Teams
2014 Super Six and National Sides Championships Our State Selectors are pleased to announce the 12 Men and 12 Women who will take on the nation’s best at the 2014 Australian Sides Championships in Burnie, Tasmania.
State Pairs winners Laura Merz (Manning) and Bianca-Rose Riseborough (Osborne Park) will become the 150th and 151st players respectively to wear the black and gold for the women. The Manning trio of Pam Chalmers, Robyn Jolly and Liz West have been recalled to the side.
There is a blend of youth and experience with Australian A representatives Rechelle Cole, Kristina Krstić, Kelli Rogalski, last year’s Beryl Godfrey Award winner Shenayde Heldt and debutant Merz; all still under the age of 23.
Therese Hastings and Kathy Gobbart, who now combine for more than 300 state caps, will once again skipper while NTC squad member Lisa Featherby gets her opportunity to skipper after playing in the role in recent test matches against Queensland and Victoria in Perth.
Coach Brian Jeppesen has been impressed with the progress made by the squad in the past six months and said, ” I congratulate the women who earned selection in the side. In the countdown to the national competition we will focus all our efforts on individual and team preparation in readiness for peak performance in Burnie. I‘m confident that we will be a ‘Can Do’ side that will represent WA with pride in the Sides Championships and Super 6 competitions.”
The Super Six team will compete on Friday, 28th March with finals played the following day. The State Side will play a Test Match on Sunday with the National Sides Championships commencing on Monday, 31st March and concluding on Thursday, 3rd April.
The Men’s State Selectors will hand caps for the first time to State Pairs winner Matthew Ayres (Manning), recently crowned Singles champion Stuart Bainbridge (Doubleview) and State Fours title holder Mark Simpson (Gingin).
Coach Pieter Harris said, “Western Australia is lucky to have many players that could have been named in the 2013-14 Men’s State team and the squad members who missed out can rightfully feel unlucky. However at the end of the day only 12 players can be on the plane to Tasmania in late March and the selectors left no stone unturned in looking at the many different possible combinations and evaluating current form of every squad member.
“We feel the team has the right balance of youth and experience, while many of the team combinations that are in place have had success at state level competition. I can’t wait to continue the work that we started together in September, as we strive to rebuild Western Australian bowls to the interstate reputation that we have enjoyed in the past.”
Successful State Pairs skipper Matthew Ellul (Mount Lawley) earns a recall to the side and will once again partner the exciting young talent and 2013 Australian Open runner up Ayres in the Super 6. The outstanding pennant form of Rhett Butler (Victoria Park-Carlisle) as well as Osborne Park’s Gary Caffell and John Goddard has not gone unnoticed and their wealth of experience may prove invaluable for our young and ever-improving squad.
Australian A representative Clive Adams and NTC squad member Daniel Patterson will team up with Thomas Mitchell in the triples, while Bainbridge is afforded the opportunity to carry his singles form into the Super 6 competition.
The Men’s team travel to Sydney on March 25 to take on NSW in a three-Test series in preparation for their assault on Burnie.
WA WOMEN’S STATE SIDE 2014
Kelli Rogalski, Liz West, Kristina Krstić, Therese Hastings (s)
Shenayde Heldt, Bianca-Rose Riseborough, Rechelle Cole, Kathy Gobbart (s)
Laura Merz, Robyn Jolly, Pam Chalmers, Lisa Featherby (s)
SUPER SIX TEAM
Singles Kristina Krstić
Pairs Laura Merz, Kelli Rogalski (s)
Triples Shenayde Heldt, Rechelle Cole, Therese Hastings (s)
WA MEN’S STATE SIDE 2014
Mark Simpson, Rhett Butler, Thomas Mitchell, John Slavich (s)
Clive Adams, Matthew Ayres, Kyle McIlroy, Matthew Ellul (s)
Stuart Bainbridge, Daniel Patterson, John Goddard, Gary Caffell (s)
SUPER SIX TEAM
Singles Stuart Bainbridge
Pairs Matthew Ayres, Matthew Ellul (s)
Triples Daniel Patterson, Clive Adams, Thomas Mitchell (s)
