BOWLS
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Defending champion Jeremy Henry faces his clubmate Jesse Noronha, while two Wiseman Park and two Dapto Citizens teams clash in Saturday's quarter-finals of the Illawarra Championship Triples at Warilla Bowling Club.
Henry won the Zone 16 triples, fours and open pairs in a record-setting 2014 and is off to an ominous start in the first zone championship for 2015.
Henry and his title-winning triples partners, Wayne Crane and Jamie Mitchell, won three matches last weekend to advance to the quarter-finals on their home green.
The Warilla champions face skip Noronha and his partners, new Gorillas recruit Greg Jeans and Jared Hamilton, for a spot in the semi-finals.
Noronha won the Illawarra South Pacific Fours and player-of-the-carnival double last month and skipped his championship triples team to three strong wins last weekend.
Meanwhile, former Australian star Shane Garvey and partners Glenn Taylor and Dylan Skinner take on clubmates Paul Luke, John Ritchie and skip Steve Haines for a triples semi-final spot.
Garvey believes his club has the depth and firepower to contend with Dapto Citizens and Warilla for the Zone 16 Grade 1 pennant this year and having two teams in the last eight in the championship triples is a positive start for the Gwynneville-based club.
Meanwhile, in an all-Dapto Citizens quarter-final, Phil Reynolds and partners Max Donovan and Stuart Ellem take on Ben Ford (skip), who is playing with his brother Troy and new Citos recruit Kyle Johannes.
In the other quarter-final, Corrimal's Daryl Webster (skip), Rob Baker and Jarrod Beckford face Windang's Geoff Walker (skip) and partners Glen Bryant and Denis Cooper.
The triples quarter-finals are from 1pm on Saturday, with the semi-finals and final on Sunday at Warilla BC.
The winners meet the champions from the other 15 zones in the state titles later in the year.