Having recently accepted an invitation to play at the host venue of the Delhi Games, the eight nation competition, which will be staged at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Bowling Complex from April 6 to 10, is considered crucial to Australia’s preparations and will also feature New Zealand, Malaysia, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, South Africa and India.
Earlier today (10/3), Van Eldik, 19, who boasts just the one international cap to her name, having debuted against England a fortnight ago, retained her position in the Australian line-up and will skip Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lynsey Armitage in the women’s pairs.
The duo will be joined on the sub-continent by world number three Kelsey Cottrell, who has won the coveted singles role, while incumbents Sharyn Renshaw and Claire Duke will play alongside debutant Beth Quinlan in the triples.
Despite banging on the selectors’ door for a number of years, Quinlan had all but conceded the prospect of ever pulling on the green and gold, having been overlooked on countless occasions including when the Australian squad was originally short-listed to 14 in December.
But a surprise call up to attend this week’s national camp in Cairns has paid the ultimate dividend, with the 55-year-old poised to live out a dream by making her debut next month.
In the men’s team, world number two Leif Selby has predictably won the singles role, while newly crowned Australian Open champion Aron Sherriff returns to the fold to skip Helensvale’s Brett Wilkie in the pairs, more than two years after winning the last of his 42 international caps.
Rounding out the team, Mark Berghofer will once again unite with Commonwealth Games gold medallists Wayne Turley and Mark Casey in the men’s triples.
“We believe it’s the right time to blood some new players ahead of the Commonwealth Games,” Australian coach Rex Johnston said.
“It’s a fairly inexperienced side…but Natasha has shown she has all the making to be an Australian skip. While Beth comes in after a decorated state career.
“Aron is still one of the nation’s most skillful players and he proved that again recently (at the Australian Open).”
Meanwhile, Australia’s Commonwealth Games shadow squad was also trimmed to 16 today, with Victoria’s Lee Schraner and Sam Shannahan, NSW’s Anne Johns and Queensland’s Anthony Kiepe making up the casualties.
NSW’s Julie Keegan, Karen Murphy and Terry Antram, as well as Victoria’s Mark Jacobsen, were overlooked for next month’s eight nation test event but remain in contention for a berth to the XIX Commonwealth Games in October, with the quartet expected to come back into the fold during Australia’s Trans Tasman series against New Zealand in May.
