Premier League lawn bowls season starts this Saturday
HOLDFAST Bay young gun Sam Denton says the pain of grand final defeat will spur his side on as the Premier League lawn bowls season kicks off this Saturday.
HOLDFAST Bay young gun Sam Denton says the pain of grand final defeat will spur on his side’s Premier League lawn bowls title challenge.
The Glenelg North club suffered a heartbreaking one-shot loss to Ascot Park in last season’s premiership decider.
Denton says recent national team call-ups for Max Kleinig and Josh Studham have raised hopes ahead of this Saturday’s campaign opener.
“We’ve got to use the grand final (loss) as motivation,” says Denton, who won a triples bronze medal at last week’s national under-18 titles.
“We’ve got a good young group and the feeling is good, we just need to find the players and positions in each rink early.”
Ascot Park has added Ryan Cornelius from Lockleys and has brought Ben Harris back to the club from Kangaroo Island as it aims for back-to-back flags.
Lions skip Craig Mills, who will also appear for Melbourne Cricket Club’s bowls side as a fly-in player, says the pair has increased competition for places.
“Last year the side basically picked itself, but the new players have put a bit more pressure on for spots,” Mills, 37, says.
“We want to give ourselves a chance of defending it (the premiership) but it won’t be easy because there’s about seven sides who are good enough on their day to win it.”
Grange dumped reigning premier Adelaide out of last season’s finals race.
The Dolphins have signed David Adcock (Ardrossan) and Kevin Stock (Victor Harbor), while the Blues have recruited Cassandra Harvey (Somerton) and Tamzin Jenke (Loxton).
Modbury will look to end a run of three fifth-place finishes in the past four seasons with the additions of state players Gary Thompson from Kensington/Marryatville and Dale Robertson.
West Lakes finished the last campaign a disappointing seventh and will be without Australian under-25 star Renee McPharlin who is having a year off.
But the Lakers have lured player-coach Kane Coulls from Holdfast in one of the biggest coups of the off-season.
“We’ve got a new focus on training and commitment,” says SA player Prue Goonan, 20.
“Players are being rewarded for the hard work they put in on the track and there’s a great feeling down at the club.”
Marion, fifth last season, has signed Scott Binns from McLaren Vale, while Hawthorn, which narrowly avoided relegation, has brought in husband and wife Rob and Sue Hutchinson from Payneham.
Henley and Salisbury have been promoted to the top flight.
The northern club will again rely on the class of Breeanna Dickson and has recruited former state singles champions Craig Treloar and Geoff Collins.
“We went into last season fearing no one,” veteran skip Geoff Nethercott says.
“But this season we won’t look too far ahead because our main focus is to win enough games to stay up.”