New England Bowls By RICHIE CLUTTERBUCK
CLUBS in New England will host visiting bowlers from the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland this weekend with some 46 players making the trip. I am not sure of their program but do know that they are playing at Armidale City on Saturday with play to follow a sausage sizzle at 12.30pm. There are still a couple of vacancies available so if you wish to play against the visitors at City or any of the other clubs they are visiting then I suggest you make enquiries at your club. Let’s show the visitors a real Armidale welcome and make sure they enjoy their stay in our City.
Try out bowls
JUST a reminder that Rod Heaton from Aero Bowls will have a display of their products at the City club on Monday 24 February from 4pm-6.30pm. Come and try the Aero bowls and there is no obligation to buy any product so why not have roll with the latest bowls available.
Leads in demand
WITH not much happening in the district until the triples at Glen Innes on 22-23 February there is not too much to report this week. So I thought I might give players an insight as to what your selectors will most likely be looking at for various positions in the pennant teams. This week we will look at the profile of a lead.
The basic requirements are. 1. Create an early advantage (two close bowls); 2. Put immediate pressure on the opposition; 3. Promote confidence within the team; 4. Control length of jack as determined by skip; 5. Quickly settle onto the best side of the rink as determined by you and the skip. Many of the problems associated with leading are: a) The repetitive nature of the task could promote boredom; b) Playing well but losing; c) May not appear to receive recognition deserved and lesser involvement compared to other positions.
Finally, be aware that class leads are always in demand at all representative levels.
Triples entries
DON’T forget that entries are now open for the Ex-Services mixed triples on 29-30 March and flyers are out to all clubs with entry details etc. Guyra major/minor pair’s details are also available and this is on 10-11 May. On Saturday the zone 3 meeting will be held at Barrabra and it will be interesting to find out how many clubs and districts have put in submissions regarding the proposed rezoning of the districts by the BowlsNSW.
