New Warilla signings Gary Kelly and Corey Wedlock will make their Zone 16 Championship debut together in a star-studded Warilla rink in the Open Fours on Saturday.
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Northern Ireland international Kelly won a bronze medal in Singles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and arrived in Australia earlier this month.
Wedlock was snared by the Gorillas from arch-rivals Cabramatta, with the Jackaroos squad member making an immediate impact for his new club by winning the South Pacific Singles just three weeks ago.
Wedlock and Kelly will join world champion Jeremy Henry and skipper Aaron Teys in all-star rink. Wedlock and Kelly have been signed primarily to push Warilla’s challenge for the NSW Grade 1 pennant title with the Gorillas needing replacements for Leif Selby, Harley McDonald and Alex Marshall who will not be back with the club this season.
In the Fours Championship, Teys and partners have a round one bye and face the Albion Park team of Terry Davison, Peter Kendall, Brett Pieper and Peter Thelan (skip) in round two at Warilla BC on Saturday afternoon.
The event will have a new champion with only two members of Towradgi Park’s reigning champion side – Anthony Jones and Damien Lateo – returning in a Towradgi side this year.
Lateo and new skip Jones are joined by Adam Martin and Russ Taylor with the Towradgi rink to take on a Kiama team skipped by Brad Rossiter.
Fifteen Zone 16 clubs have nominated a team for the Open Fours. A host of teams look to be serious contenders including the Dapto Citizens’ rink of Chris Green, the returning John Hills, NSW representative Matt Miles and skip Michael Stead.
The Citos side take on Corrimal’s Ayden Murphy, Blake Hoffman, Trent McMillan and Rick Murphy (skip) in round two. Shane Garvey is a multiple zone champion and has assembled a formidable rink with Ben Ford, Troy Ford and South Pacific Player of the Carnival Shane Pascoe.
The Wiseman Park rink also have a tough second round match-up at Figgy Bowlo against the Corrimal side of Sam Dodd, Tim Cananough, Danyon Christie and Pete Bonsor (skip).
The opening round of the Open Fours features just three matches on Saturday morning, with round two on Saturday afternoon at headquarters Warilla and Figgy Bowlo.
Rounds three and four are this Sunday with the semi-finals and final on February 16. The winner of the Open Fours, plus the inaugural champion of the Zone 16 Senior Fours and the President’s Reserve Fours will represent Zone 16 at the State Championships later this year.
The President’s Reserve Fours for Grade 5-7 bowlers has attracted 25 teams from 13 clubs. The President’s Reserve and Senior Fours championships commence on Saturday week, February 9 with good numbers for both inaugural events.
In the Reserve Fours, Windang, Warilla and Kiama have three teams each.
The first two rounds are on Saturday week at Warilla BC, ahead of the quarter-finals at Warilla on Sunday February 10.
