Rolling into bright future
The Northern Territory women’s team to contest one of Australia’s premier events, the 2014 Australian Sides Championships in Tasmania, will feature several new faces, as Doug Booth reports for the Northern Territory News. Featuring the top 12 men and women from each state and territory, the Australian Sides Championships will be played over four action-packed days from March 31 to April 3 in South Burnie. The victorious men’s team get to take home the Alley Shield with the coveted Marj Morris Trophy handed to the winning women’s outfit. State selector Sue Aumann said the NT women’s team included several new faces. “The NT ladies side this year has a number of young talented players who have been selected with a view to the future,” Aumann said. “The team also includes a number of experienced players who have retained their positions not only for their bowling ability, but also to mentor and provide leadership qualities to the new players.” The selection process also identified two exciting young players who will make their NT debut in Shae Smith and Tanni deGreenlaw. “These two young players will complement seasoned NT representatives Letitia Baldwin and Kaye Tyrell,” Aumann said. “The NT ladies side has been training since September and I am expecting big improvements this year with the view of returning from Tasmania as the best performed NT ladies side for many years.” The team is — Skips: Robyn Mitchell (Darwin), Letitia Baldwin (Alice Springs), Sharon Warfe (Darwin); Thirds: Kaye Tyrell (Darwin), Helen Siganto (Alice Springs), Cheryl Simpson (Nightcliff); Seconds: Jill Scott (Alice Springs), Colleen Orr (Darwin), Bronwyn Chandler (Katherine); Lead: Shae Smith (Darwin), Tanni deGreenlaw (Darwin), Sandy Talbot (Katherine). So how do you win selection for the coveted men’s and women’s NT lawn bowls teams? Like most sporting sides and in particular state sides, it requires a commitment to be successful at the highest level. For the information of readers, the selectors have released the selection method and what is required of those players selected. Selectors used the hybrid selection model (prepared by Bowls Australia) which takes in both objective and subjective criteria including actions taken by players following last year’s selection and their performance both on and off the field at Bendigo. All players must also complete the ASADA certificate 1 and 2 and be subjected to drug testing at any time. Then it’s down to training — players must complete two to three days training each week leading up to the championships, including a compulsory training session on Sunday mornings. The coaches provide selective drills that need to be undertaken and recorded so an assessment of each player can be made before departure. This information can also be compared with last year to gauge improvement. Then a weekend of training drills and trial matches against each other and the men’s versus ladies sides. Following each game, full assessments are made by the coaches and players on performance and game plans. This commitment is required as the NT players will compete against Australia’s best lawn bowlers such as Mark Casey, Aron Sherriff, Karen Murphy and Lynsey Clark, who have competed in the Commonwealth and World games championships. If you want to know more about lawn bowls call Bowls NT on 0423 619 879 or go to nt.bowlsaustralia.com.au. Coaches are available to assist in getting started.
