Towradgi Park are chasing a third straight Zone 16 open fours title as several players make their debut for a new club in the first zone championship of the year.
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Damien Lateo is bidding for a third consecutive fours crown and is joined by Russ Taylor and Adam Martin in the rink which won the zone fours 12 months ago.
With Mal Lyons joining Corrimal, the Towradgi rink has Anthony Jones back as their skip with Jones a member of the Towradgi team which won the 2018 Zone 16 fours title.
Lateo, Taylor, Martin and Jones take on Aaron Spears' Albion Park rink in the opening round at headquarters Warilla Bowls on Saturday.
With the addition of the senior fours and president's reserve fours for grades 5-7 bowlers, the championships now boast more players overall, and a greater opportunity to win a zone crown.
Thirty-one teams will line up in the open fours with a host of top-line bowlers to make their zone debut for their new club.
Jesse Noronha signed off on his time as a Warilla player by winning the South Pacific Singles recently and makes his championship debut for new club Wiseman Park with Jason Cheadle, Chris Smith and Jordan Taylor forming a strong rink.
Noronha has a bye in round one before taking on the winner of Berkeley's Neil Bartley versus Albion Park's Peter Thelan in round two at Corrimal Bowling Club.
Among the top round one matches is Towradgi's Mick Wynne, Peter Grubb, Chris Brooks and Rod Busst (skip) facing a star-studded Warilla rink of Jamie Turner, Brendan Aquilina, Corey Wedlock and Aaron Teys (skip).
With Teys and Wedlock established in the Jackaroos squad and Aquilina being a Maltese international, the Gorillas rink is one of the favourites for the title.
Oak Flats have a strong side in the open fours with Wes Falconer to make his championship debut with partners Paul Woods, Steve Sprod and Gregg Stevens (skip) against another formidable Warilla line-up skipped by Jeremy Henry.
Ex-Towradgi player Wayne Toomey will play as Henry's lead, with Eric Haynes and Jamie Mitchell also being his teammates.
Scott Bateup's Wiseman Park rink takes on a Figgy Bowlo side skipped by Jayden Gebbie in what should be another tight first round clash at Warilla.
Meanwhile, 27 teams nominated for the president's reserve fours with the reigning champion Warilla rink of Don McLeod, Aldo Dimartino, Scott Kicks and Chris Cusack (skip) to defend their crown.
Cusack takes on a Bomaderry rink skipped by 2019 Zone 16 president's reserve singles champion Chris Rae in round one at Kiama. Figgy Bowlo and Kiama host round one and two games on Saturday, with Warilla to host the quarter-finals and semi-finals on Sunday.
Twenty-one Over-60s teams have nominated for the senior fours, with just four teams to still be in contention following Sunday's quarter-finals at Warilla.
The first round will be played at Windang Bowling Club with some excellent games in prospect.
Mark Sunderland (Figgy Bowlo) takes on Dave Roberts, while Robbie Warren (Wiseman Park) meets Steve McMahon (Shoalhaven Heads) and Col Cheadle (Corrimal) faces Lupco Brglevski (Oak Flats).
The finals of the open fours, senior fours and reserve fours are set for Warilla on February 8.
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