The 2023 Over 60’s State Team
The Australian Senior Sides Championships will be held at the Joondalup Bowling Club starting on October 8th and concluding on October 11th.
The Over 60’s Selection Panel spent plenty of time discussing the merits of many of our very good Over 60’s players and found it difficult to leave out a number of worthy players but have made the difficult choices.
The Men’s team sees a number of new faces, Brad King from Geraldton comes straight in as a skip and will debut at Joondalup in the black and gold. Brad will have Aj Heal as a third who was unavailable last year and is a welcome inclusion into this year’s team. The reliable Neville Stevens will fill the seconds position and last year’s best player, Jerome Clayton stays in the lead spot.
Chris Lander continues as Skip and gets Sorrento teammate Paul Knight as his third. This will be Paul’s first shot in the Over 60’s State Team. A strong pennant season and a sensational Bowls Blitz from Paul made the selectors stand up and take notice. Ross Bolton returns as a reliable second and Greg Taylor, who had a very good series last year, stays on the mat.
Over 60’s Bowler of the Year John Goddard skipping was never in doubt and he will be joined by his great mate and very experienced bowler at the level Gary Caffell. Gary missed last year with an injury and is raring to go for Joondalup in October. Osborne Park teammate Kevin Pickering retains his position in the team and moves to the seconds position while Steve Cerff will also change positions and moves to the mat to lead the team from the front
The Women’s Over 60’s Team is full of experience and as expected looks a very capable combination with the firepower to win the Championships. Kaye Blackwell skips again and will have Rhonda Prosser as her third. Robyn O’Brien stepped down from the Open team this year and comes straight into the Over 60’s team for the first time as a second. State Singles winner Irene Arndt will give the team a great start on the mat.
Kathy Gobbart makes an impact in every event she plays in and will form a strong combination with her third Pam Chalmers. Chalmers comes back into the team after not playing last year. Lexie Webster just missed out on a spot in the Open team and will return to the Over 60’s team where she played last year. The most reliable player on the planet, Kerry Andersen, will again give her team a great start.
A WA Hall of Famer in waiting, Noelene Abe, will continue as a skip and will have last year’s WA’s best player Irene Leahy as her third. Jill Adam comes into the team as a second and will be right at home with a teammate she knows well and Hall of Famer, Lee Poletti taking on the lead spot. Lee may have been playing in the backend positions for many year’s but for a player who has made her name as one of the best draw bowlers in WA history, Lee will have no trouble leading the team away and setting the rink up for many wins.
Men’s Over 60’s State Team:
| SKIPPER | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brad KING | Aj HEAL | Neville STEVENS | Jerome CLAYTON |
| Chris LANDER | Paul KNIGHT | Ross BOLTON | Greg TAYLOR |
| John GODDARD | Gary CAFFELL | Kevin PICKERING | Steve CERFF |
Women’s Over 60’s State Team:
| SKIPPER | THIRD | SECOND | LEAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaye BLACKWELL | Rhonda PROSSER | Robyn O’BRIEN | Irene ARNDT |
| Kathy GOBBART | Pam CHALMERS | Lexie WEBSTER | Kerry ANDERSEN |
| Noelene ABE | Irene LEAHY | Jill ADAM | Lee POLETTI |
