Girl power fires up new-look Ospreys
TWEED Heads have named four females in their side for their opening Premier League Queensland border showdown with powerful Helensvale.
Former Broadbeach star Chloe Stewart, teenager Jessica Srisamruaybai, Kristy Thatcher and Lauren Wilson – all members of the Queensland squad – will grace the Tweed Heads greens today (5pm NSW time) in what will surely be a baptism of fire.
Stewart is in new colours after playing with 2017 champions Broadbeach.
And they will be joined by experienced duo and former internationals Leif Selby and Wayne Turley, both 45, for the opening exchanges against Helensvale and Enoggera (away) in a double-header today and tomorrow.
Turley is the new bowls coordinator at Tweed Heads, replacing Paul Girdler – who is now with defending champions Broadbeach Bulls – and he did not take long to bolster the ranks of the Ospreys.
He convinced former world champion Leif Selby to fly in each week from Warrilla in Sydney.
“When I rang him I thought there was no chance but when he had a look at the draw and the dates he thought why not,” Turley said of recruiting a four-times world champion.
“It’s disappointing that we’ve lost some but we’ve recruited pretty well.”
Selby, who “retired” in 2010 after a silver in singles at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, has sampled life in the PLQ previously.
“I was with Helensvale in 2009 when we won it,” Selby said. “It’s a big match but I think it’s a great time to get them first-up.”
Broadbeach won their first PLQ title last year and, if anything, are stronger with Girdler on board to back up Canadian Ryan Bester and Scottish internationals Ryan Burnett and Kevin Anderson.
The Bulls play Belmont Services away today and back up
ROUND 1 TODAY
Tweed Heads v Helensvale South Tweed v Greenslopes Belmont v Broadbeach Enoggera v Booval
Pine Rives v Hamilton Kawana v Victoria Point
ROUND 2 TOMORROW
South Tweed v Belmont Broadbeach v Victoria Point Helensvale v Kawana Enoggera v Tweed Heads Booval v Pine Rivers Greenslopes v Hamilton tomorrow against Point at home.
Helensvale have an imposing line-up with Commonwealth Games team members Aron Sherriff, new to the club, Nathan Rice, Brett Wilkie and Kelsey Cottrell.
Wilkie said the addition of a number of imports – Hamilton have landed Aaron Teys and Jeremy Henry – has resulted in the strongest looking competition in the PLQ’s 17-year history. Helensvale has won the comp seven times.
Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson and Karen Murphy have been chosen as Australia's singles representatives for the Commonwealth Games. Victoria