Australian ace Sharyn Renshaw is ready to leave her mark on next week’s $30,000 Janome NSW Open at Taren Point Bowling Club.
Despite her glittering credentials, which includes six grand prix victories, good enough for second place on the all-time winners’ list, the 48-year-old is somewhat of a sleeper in the main draw as she attempts to claim her first victory on the GP circuit this year.
Having captured her last grand prix title almost 15 months ago, Renshaw will team with Raymond Terrace’s Natasha Van Eldik, one of the nation’s most promising players, in the women’s pairs for the first time ever.
While their compatibility is yet to be tested, Van Eldik is one of the circuit’s most exciting players, having captured the BCiB Queensland Open triples crown in July before narrowly losing the final of the singles the following day.
With Renshaw leading up front for the 19-year-old, the pair have all the tools at their disposal to add to their impressive resumes, a point not lost on the wily veteran.
“I’m looking forward to playing at the (Janome) NSW Open,” an upbeat Renshaw said earlier today.
“I haven’t played with Tash before, but I’ve coached her at state level through juniors and she’s got the goods.
“Don’t worry about that, she can play.
“She doesn’t seem to crumble under pressure and that’s always a good sign.”
With a handful of the world’s finest players in attendance, Renshaw is fully aware that she will have to be at the top of her game to add a seventh grand prix title to her list, but having reached the final of the Australian Open triples earlier this year, the St Johns Park star is ready to shine again.
In the women’s fours, she will team with another teenage sensation, highly regarded Western Australian Kristina Kristic, as well as national teammates Kelli Wray and Julie Keegan.
“I’m really looking forward to playing with Julie,” Renshaw said.
“She’s in terrific form at the moment.
“I finished last year ranked number one (in Australia) in the triples and fours, but I haven’t won a grand prix for a while, so it would be good to do it next week.”
A multi-discipline tournament, the Janome NSW Open features pairs and fours for both men and women with $30,000 up for grabs.
The competition commences at Taren Point on Monday, October 6 and runs through to Thursday, October 9, with the finals broadcast across the nation on ABC TV.
