Australia v South Africa Test Series:-Test teams announcement
Australia v South Africa Test Series: Moonta Memorial Park Bowling Club, South Australia
Australia’s Rebecca Quail will face a baptism of fire against South Africa next month after being named today (18/7) to make her international debuts in the best-of-three test series.
Staged at the Moonta Memorial Park Bowling Club on the Yorke Peninsula, the fierce rivals will resume on-green hostilities for the first time since last year’s Delhi Commonwealth Games when the nations clashed in not one but two gold medal play-offs, with the Springboks prevailing in tie-breaks on both occasions.
With the losses still fresh in the memory of the Australians, the 10-strong contingent will have one eye on earning selection for the up-coming Asia Pacific Championships in late November and another on earning redemption for the sub-continent losses.
Signaling their intent, the South Africans have named a formidable line-up that includes Delhi Games gold medallists Gerry Baker, Wayne Perry, Gidion Vermeulen and Tracy-Lee Botha, as well as experienced campaigners Colleen Piketh, Esme Steyn and Billy Radloff.
Silvia Burns, Santjie Steyn and Wayne York round out the Springboks’ team.
The Australian line-up has been somewhat overhauled since Delhi with Nathan Rice and world number six Karen Murphy, both overlooked for the XIX Commonwealth Games, earning a recall, while world number four Brett Wilkie is the sole remaining silver medallist from the South African losses.
“It’s always an ultra competitive series against the South Africans,” national coach Steve Glasson said this morning.
“South Africa is a powerhouse of the bowls world…they’re an extremely mentally tough side that always manages to extract a win.
“With the Asia Pacific Championships not far away, there’s a bit at stake for our guys, but we’ve given a few an opportunity while at the same time selecting a side to win the series.”
In the women’s singles, world number four Kelsey Cottrell will once again spearhead the Australian side, while Wilkie will do the likewise for the men for the first time in his 46-game international career, with the national selectors opting for world number three Aron Sherriff to skip the triples and fours.
The remaining Australian contingent for the best-of-three test series includes Lynsey Armitage, Natasha Van Eldik and Mark Berghofer, with the ABC and Fox Sports televising nine of the international rubbers from Moonta.
The series will commence on Tuesday, August 30 and will run through to Thursday, September 1.
