Australia names new blood for Trans Tasman
Australia’s 10-strong development Trans Tasman team will be headlined by two of the biggest names in the sport right now, young guns Aaron Teys and Ellen Ryan. Australian selectors have confirmed two of the sport’s most promising young players, Aaron Teys and Ellen Ryan, will lead the charge for the green and gold contingent in the Development event at the upcoming Trans Tasman test series.
The NSW young guns, who claimed the Australian Open’s $16,000 men’s and women’s singles titles last June, have been handed the plum blue-ribbon singles positions by the national selection panel for the development portion of the annual test series against New Zealand next month.
After casting an eye over bowls’ brightest young talent at a Jr. Jackaroos trial camp on the Gold Coast last week, the selection panel have named Teys, 22, and Ryan, 18, as part of a formidable 10-strong team to contest the March 1 to 3 encounter, alongside the 14 Jackaroos chosen last week for the Open event.
Selected alongside Cabramatta’s Ryan in the women’s team is Musgrave Hill’s Taleah Putney, 17, St Johns Park’s Dawn Hayman, 18, Fitzroy Victoria’s Tiffany Brodie, 17, and Manning Memorial’s Kristina Krstic, 21.
Australian Jackaroos squad member Krstic, who is the reigning under-25 world singles and mixed pairs champion, has been tasked with skipping the triples and fours, while Hayman will take the reigns in the pairs.
Named alongside Warilla’s Teys in the men’s line-up is Dubbo Railway’s Jono Davis, 14, Cleveland’s Jacob Nelson, 17, Cabramatta’s Corey Wedlock, 19, and Holdfast Bay’s Max Kleinig, 26.
Davis, who secured two prestigious Commonwealth Junior Games gold medals last year, will lead for Teys in the pairs, while Kleinig, a South Australian state representative and member of the Australian Premier League runner-up Adelaide Endurance team, will take control of the triples and fours disciplines.
Last year’s best of three test event saw Australia and New Zealand split the honours with a test-and-a-half each in the men’s development event, with the Kiwis collecting the Overall Trans Tasman Development Trophy courtesy of a 2-1 test victory in the women’s matches.
The 2016 Trans Tasman will be staged at Burnside Bowling Club from March 1 to 3, followed by a 6-Nation Invitational involving the 14 Jackaroos, held across Bowls Papanui, Burnside and Fendalton Bowling Clubs from March 6 to 11.
Bowls Australia would like to acknowledge the assistance and funding provided by the Australian Commonwealth Games Association to Bowls Australia for athletes in the 2016 NextGEN AUSComGames Squad program.
NextGEN AUSComGames was devised by the ACGA to provide assistance to junior players who have been identified as potential 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games, and/or 2018 or 2022 Commonwealth Games level athletes.
Click here to view the announcement of the 14 players picked for the open Trans Tasman event.
Women
Singles – Ellen Ryan (18, Cabramatta, NSW)
Pairs – Taleah Putney (17, Musgrave Hill, QLD) & Dawn Hayman (18, St Johns Park, NSW)
Triples – Tiffany Brodie (17, Fitzroy Victoria, VIC), Ellen Ryan & Kristina Krstic (21, Manning Memorial, WA)
Fours – Tiffany Brodie, Taleah Putney, Dawn Hayman & Kristina Krstic
Men
Singles – Aaron Teys (22, Warilla, NSW)
Pairs – Jono Davis (14, Dubbo Railway, NSW) & Aaron Teys
Triples – Jacob Nelson (17, Cleveland, QLD), Corey Wedlock (19, Cabramatta, NSW) & Max Kleinig (26, Holdfast Bay, SA)
Fours – Jono Davis, Jacob Nelson, Corey Wedlock & Max Kleinig
Caption: Ellen Ryan and Aaron Teys have handed the plum singles roles for the Development Trans Tasman.
