Trial camp opens door to Australian Jackaroos squad
Bowls Australia’s national selector panel will give 15 fresh hopefuls the opportunity to trial for a spot in the sport’s top high performance tier, the Australian Jackaroos, for 2015-16, alongside the current contingent of squad members.
The panel, headed by National Coach Steve Glasson OAM, have announced that they will look to add new blood to the national squad as part of their preparations for the next batch of international benchmark events, with five men and 10 women identified as potential future Australian representatives.
The 15 player group will be put through their paces at two upcoming selection trial camps on the Gold Coast, in company with the current list of Australian Jackaroos; which features nine men and 10 women.
Following the trial camps, which will occur from May 21-24 for the women and June 10-12 for the men, the selectors will use the $225,000 Australian Open from June 13-25 as the final decider to determine the 2015-16 team, at which time both the men’s and women’s groups will be reduced to 10 members each.
Head selector and Australian Coach Glasson said that the departure from the traditional practice of naming the squad at the conclusion of the Australian Sides Championships was brought about partially due to the unfavourable Perth conditions.
“The weather gods were not kind to us earlier in the week at Yokine, the greens were simply too slow for us to get the insight of the players that we require,” Glasson said.
“The rationale behind the new trial process is to try to ascertain the style of play these players possess, to identify those best suited to our next benchmark events.
“Each player will also need to complete some compulsory tasks and requirements prior to the trial camp, which will also aid our effort to find the players who are truly committed to Australian representation and will contribute on and off the green to the goal of maintaining our position as the world’s number one bowling nation.”
Former Jackaroos vice-captain Wayne Turley is back in contention for a spot in the squad after last holding a post in 2011, while also in the hunt is 2013 Australian Open singles champion Aaron Wilson, recent World Junior Championships pairs winner Ben Twist, South Australia’s former Australia ‘A’ squad member Max Kleinig and dual NSW bowler of the year Ray Pearse.
The ten-strong list of prospective women boast an average age of just 18.9, headlined by recent dual World Junior Championships singles and pairs champion Kristina Krstic, 20, the youngest ever Australian Indoor Championships winner Jamie-Lee Worsnop, 18, and 19 year-old Australian capped representative Chloe Stewart, who earned her stripes at the recent Trans Tasman in the blue-ribbon singles.
Other budding prospects include NSW young-gun trio Dawn Hayman, 17, Ellen Ryan, 18, and Kelly Richards, 23, South Australian pair Renee McPharlin and Breeanna Dickson, both 19, Victoria’s Tayla Morison, 16, and Queensland’s Bolivia Millerick, 20.
All current Jackaroos members will also need to audition at the trial camps to retain their coveted positions, with the exception of NSW’s Matthew Pietersen, who made himself unavailable for selection due to work commitments.
The selectors have identified four upcoming events as the primary criteria for selection, which includes the 2015 Asia Pacific Championships, 2016 Trans Tasman, 2016 Six-Nation Invitational and 2016 World Bowls Championships, with all set to be staged in New Zealand, with a longer term gaze towards future Gold Coast tournaments; the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, 2019 Asia Pacific Championships and 2020 World Bowls Championships.
INVITED WOMEN –
Lynsey Clarke* (31, Club Helensvale, QLD)
Kelsey Cottrell* (24, St Johns Park, NSW)
Breeanna Dickson (19, Salisbury, SA)
Dawn Hayman (17, St Johns Park, NSW)
Anne Johns* (34, St Johns Park, NSW)
Kristina Krstic (20, Manning Memorial, WA)
Renee McPharlin (19, …
