The inclusion of Jackaroos star Corey Wedlock plus an in-form Lee Stinson and Adam Martin has Zone 16 primed to defend their Open title and also the Seniors crown at next week's NSW Inter-Zone Championships at South Tamworth BC.
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Zone 16 won the Open and Over 60s Inter-Zone double at Grandviews last year; rebounding from a loss to Sydney Central and South (Zone 13) in both opening matches to win six successive games and take the trophy.
Zone 16 chairman of selectors Terry Seton says both squads have a solid base of last year's winning teams plus key additions to make them serious contenders to defend their crowns.
''We're definitely as strong as last year and with the changes that've been made we feel very fortunate to be able to bring in some top-quality bowlers,'' Seton said.
The Open side have three changes from a year ago, with Corey Wedlock an automatic inclusion after missing the 2020 Inter-Zone through injury.
Wedlock has won two 2020 NSW State titles in recent weeks, plus reached the State Singles finals and was part of the BPL 13 title.
He will skip a rink, joined by Towradgi's Adam Martin and Warilla's Lee Stinson, replacing retired Shane Garvey and Jesse Noronha, who has joined Cabramatta.
Stinson is the form player in Zone 16 this season winning the Zone Pairs with new clubmate Mick Thorne and taking out the Singles crown.
Stinson will play as the third in Wedlock's rink at South Tamworth BC, with Towradgi's Anthony Jones to play second and Mick Thorne the lead.
Martin comes into a settled rink to be skipped by Aaron Teys and replaces Trevor Suckley, who is now eligible for the Over 60s competition and will play his first Inter-Zone in the Seniors.
Martin is the only change in the rink skipped by Teys, with Chris Green back as the dependable lead and youngster Jayden Gebbie to play third after an excellent Inter-Zone debut 12 months ago.
The other rink to be skipped by Michael Stead is unchanged with his Dapto Citizens clubmates Peter McCauley and Jarrod Beckford to play lead and second respectively, and Jamie Mitchell (Warilla) the third.
The Zone 16 Seniors squad have made minimal changes with Suckley swapping teams, while Dave Tyrrell has been rewarded for his excellent performances in Zone Championships this year and will play second for his Windang clubmate Gregg Stevens, who'll skip a rink on his Seniors debut.
The Inter-Zone Championship run from May 17-22 at four Tamworth clubs with the Seniors from May 17-19 followed by the Open event.
The Zone 16 Seniors have drawn Zone 4, Zone 12 and Zone 14, while the Opens have drawn Zones 4, 11 and 14, with the Sydney-based Zone 11 looming as a key match.
Rink swap delivers success
A change in the rink order proved a winning formula for Howie Russell and partners, who claimed the 2021 Fours Championship at Bellambi BC.
Veteran bowlers Keith Elliott (lead) and Nobby Clark (second) combined with first-time club champions Graham Drew (third) and skip Russell to reverse an early-round Fours loss a year ago to clinch the first championship of 2021.
Russell and partners went end for end in the final against Ernie Martin, Gary Fensom, Les Mathews and Ken Sheridan in a 24-20 victory; with the score locked 20-20 with two ends remaining.
Russell produced some fine draw shots to take the lead with a two and they held their nerve on the last end with another two.
While Elliott and Clark have tasted championship victory previously, it was rich reward for Drew and Russell, who celebrated their maiden major club title. The triumph means they qualify for the Zone Champion of Club Champion Fours in November.
For the past couple of months the focus at Bellambi BC has been the Zone 16 Pennants season, with the club entering a side in the Grade 4 and Grade 6 competitions.
Bellambi's club championship season will resume shortly with nominations now open.
Final round Pennant thriller
Southern Conference Section 1 leaders Dapto Citizens are away to in-form Corrimal in Saturday's final round, with a spot at the Grade 1 State Pennant Finals up for grabs.
Dapto Citz beat Albion Park 58-51 (8-2) in the penultimate round, while Corrimal leapfrogged to second with a 67-45 (9-1) win over Kiama.
Corrimal skips Mal Lyons and Kyle Johannes won their rinks against Kiama, while Dean Aitken was beaten a shot by Steve Wills.
Read more: Sprinter shaking Rust off at Dapto Dogs
Dapto Citz (48.5) hold a five-point lead over Corrimal (43.5), meaning the winner of Saturday's clash will clinch Section 1 and qualify for the state finals. Citos are guaranteed to finish second even with a loss, with the second-placed club to meet Section 2 runner-up Towradgi for the third Pennants spot.
Albion Park (35 points) must chase a three-rink, 10-0 away win against Kiama and hope Citos beat Corrimal in order to snatch second spot.
This weekend is also the final round in Grades 2-7, with their playoffs on May 29-30. Grand Final weekend is June 5-6.
