Hawks to fly with talent

SIX times series winners Club Helensvale will boast one of the most formidable rinks in the competition’s history for the start of a new Premier League Queensland bowls series this weekend.

The arrival of world-ranked singles player Aron Sherriff from Ettalong has given the Hawks a star-studded line-up as they go for their eighth PLQ title.

Understandably Sherriff has been named as one of Helensvale’s three skips for the opening salvos against Tweed

Heads (away) on Saturday and Kawana (home) on Sunday.

Sherriff, who won the Australian singles title at Merimbula late last year, will head a team of Kelsey Cottrell, Mark Casey and Des Cann.

Even Cann, the odd man out in the Commonwealth

Games medal stakes, is coming off wins at the Australian titles – in pairs with Anthony Kiepe and in fours with Matt Lucas, Brett Wilkie and Nathan Rice.

With Casey stepping down to third in Sherriff’s team, after years as a skip, it leaves Helensvale with Brett Wilkie and

Nathan Rice, both members of the Jackaroos Commonwealth Games squad, as the two other PLQ skips.

Sherriff has been contracted to Club Helensvale and will be available for Queensland selection away from club duties.

Meanwhile Wilkie says the

Hawks have been handed a task to kick off a new season.

After this weekend, the following weekend gets harder with a clash against champions Broadbeach on Friday, then a trip to the artificial greens at Pine Rivers on Sunday.

“That is a tough weekend for sure,” Wilkie said.

“Unfortunately myself and Kelsey (Cottrell) won’t be playing that weekend because Bowls Australia has entered us in the Burnside Pairs in Christchurch.”

Wilkie said the reason the PLQ has double-header weekends to start is due to a push to finish the series well before April’s Games.

PLQ ROUND 1, Jan 6: South Tweed v Greenslopes, Belmont Services v Broadbeach, Tweed Heads v Helensvale. ROUND 2, Jan 7: South Tweed v Belmont Services, Enoggera v Tweed Heads, Broadbeach v Victoria Point, Helensvale v Kawana.