The Australian players celebrate their World Team Cup victories.

The Australian team completed a remarkable double last month when it won both the men’s and women’s events at the inaugural World Team Cup.

Young gun Aron Sherriff was the star on the final day when he claimed the singles rubber against Ireland to secure the men’s trophy at Tweed Heads Bowls Club.

Australia then completed a clean sweep with Wayne Turley and Nathan Rice joining Sherriff for victory in the triples after the duo had earlier won the pairs.

It was a similar story for the women with a dramatic form reversal by singles player Julie Keegan denying New Zealand victory. Sixteen-year-old Kelsey Cottrell and Karen Murphy laid the foundations for the victory by claiming the pairs.

Australian coach Cameron Curtis said winning both titles was a credit to the players and would give the squad great confidence ahead of next year’s world championships.

“We would have been satisfied to have won one event and do well in the other, but to win both is a magnificent achievement by the players,” he said.

Murphy, who has been on the international scene for a decade, said the World Team Cup was one of the best events she had participated in.

“It was so enjoyable to play in an event with such a great atmosphere created by brilliant crowd interaction which, in turn, encourages the highest standard of bowls,” she said.

“I put the World Team Cup second on my list in the enjoyment stakes, only behind the Commonwealth Games.”

ABN AMRO Australian Open singles runner-up Scott Caundle is looking to go one better at the 2007 Queensland Open.

Bowls Australia has raised the stakes considerably at its next grand prix event with two cars and $30,000 up for grabs at the Queensland Open to be staged in Brisbane in early July.

Any bowler who can score a triple treat by winning the singles, triples and fours disciplines at the event will take home a brand new Mitsubishi car.

“With both men’s and women’s events at the Queensland Open there is the possibility that two vehicles could be won,” said Bowls Australia’s chief executive Neil Dalrymple.

“It’s a unique offer for the sport and should encourage a lot of players to enter the Queensland Open qualifying tournament.”

Bowls Australia recently determined that it would allocate over 100 places in the Queensland Open to successful qualifiers.

One of five major open events staged by the national body as part of its grand prix series, the Queensland Open will be played at Cleveland Bowling Club in Brisbane from 1-5 July.

Qualifiers have the opportunity to gain a place in the main draw by contesting the qualifying tournament from 27-30 June at Brisbane clubs.

Players can enter qualifying by logging on at www.bowlsaustralia.com.au and downloading an entry form or calling 03 9819 2722.

Adelaide will host the 2012 World Bowls Championships, the game’s pinnacle international event.

Bowls Australia president Brian Marsland revealed last month that the Adelaide bid — backed by the South Australian government, Bowls South Australia and Events South Australia — had secured the rights to the sport’s showpiece.

Adelaide’s Lockleys Bowls Club hosted the men’s World Bowls Championship in 1996 and will get the chance to shine once more in 2012 as the primary venue.

Mr Marsland said the professional submission from the South Australian contingent was a standout for the championships.

“The collaborative proposal from Events South Australia, Bowls SA and the state government of South Australia demonstrated a real eagerness to work closely with Bowls Australia to stage the event,” said Mr Marsland.

Staged every four years, the World Bowls Championships is the most prestigious event on the international bowls calendar.

Previously there have been separate men’s and women’s world championships, however in 2008 in New Zealand it will be a combined event for the first time. That will also be the case in 2012 with the world’s top 24 countries in both men’s and women’s events competing.

Australia last hosted a world championship when the 2000 Women’s World Bowls Championship was staged in Moama. On previous occasions the national body has been forced to impose a levy on members to help finance the staging of world championships. However, in 2012 the World Bowls Championships will be staged at no cost to the grassroots bowler.

A major renovation will enhance the greens for the ABN AMRO Australian Open 2008.

Work has commenced on a major renovation of the greens at the Darebin International Sports Centre, home of the ABN AMRO Australian Open.

The $40,000 overhaul is the most extensive work undertaken on the greens since they were commissioned for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

Bowls Australia’s chief executive Neil Dalrymple said the renovation was part of a comprehensive program to have the greens in excellent shape for next year’s ABN AMRO Australian Open.

“We acknowledge that the greens were not of an acceptable standard at this year’s event and are working closely with the City of Darebin and Darebin City Bowls Club to address that,” said Mr Dalrymple.

“New greenkeepers have been employed and there is a specific schedule of works planned in the lead up to next year’s Open.”

Head greenkeeper Greg West said a major component of the renovation program was introducing an organic material into the substructure of the greens to produce a more stable surface.

“We are introducing a product that allows the greens to hold moisture better and will harden the sand substructure to ensure a truer surface,” he said.

The renovation includes de-thatching the greens and they are being cored and laser-levelled.

“It’s a four month program that has only just begun, but already we are getting very positive results,” Mr West said.

“We are hoping to bring the greens up to a speed of about 14 seconds for next year’s Australian Open. They will definitely be a lot better.”

Bowls Australia recently held its second annual Development Officers Conference at Tweed Heads in New South Wales.

Staged over two days, the conference attracted 12 development officers from throughout the country as well as representatives from the Australian Sports Commission and Project Connect.

The conference program explored a range of topics with one of the most important being developing a product to fill the gap between social players involved in Get on the Green and bowlers participating in pennant in order to increase club membership.

Other key topics included women in sport, junior bowls, dress code, staging a club conference, providing opportunities for people with a disability through Project Connect, as well as the development of a festival of bowls.

“A collaborative approach to building participation in the sport is essential if successful outcomes are to be achieved,” said Bowls Australia’s development manager John Hook.

“The annual Development Officers Conference helps facilitate that and there now exists good relationships and a high level of interaction among the development officers on an on-going basis.

“We thank the state and territory associations for their support of this event and appreciate the input of all of the development officers who attended.”

Bowls Australia is introducing a contemporary range of playing attire in line with changes to the dress code.

Three of the largest state bowls associations in the country have embraced Bowls Australia’s new ‘all of sport’ dress code following presentations by the national body.

The Royal New South Wales Bowling Association, Bowls Queensland and Bowls SA have all agreed to adopt the new regulations that were introduced on a national level earlier this year.

Bowls WA, the Royal Victorian Bowls Association and Bowls ACT are also considering the move.

The ‘all of sport’ code is essentially a relaxation of the previously strict dress regulations in the sport with the aim of encouraging more young people to take up bowls.

Bowls Australia’s ‘Women in Sport’ spokesperson, Sally West, said that while the new regulations covered both genders they were particularly relevant to women’s bowls.

“Our research has shown that strict dress regulations in women’s bowls in particular have been a major barrier to increasing our participation numbers,” she said.

“In order to break down that barrier we have relaxed our dress code at the national level and are now encouraging our state and territory associations to do the same.”

Bowls Australia has been working with clothing manufacturers to develop a new contemporary range of playing attire for men and women.

The dress code initiative has been driven, in part, by a partnership between Bowls Australia and the Australian Sports Commission to explore key challenges facing women in bowls.

Noi Tucker has retired from the Australian Bowls Squad.

One of Australia’s leading bowlers, Noi Tucker, retired from international competition recently. Tucker was part of Australia’s record-breaking 2006 Commonwealth Games team, winning a silver medal in the triples.

A member of the Jindalee Bowls Club in Brisbane, she won a place in the development section of the Australian Bowls Squad in 2003 and made her international debut at the open level in January 2006 at the Tri Nations Cup.

At the 2007 Trans Tasman Test series in March — her last representative outing — Tucker helped Australia win the women’s series and the overall Trans Tasman Trophy.

Tucker said that at 46 and as the oldest player in the squad she felt it was time to make way for one of the many younger players pushing for selection.

“There is so much talent in the Australian Bowls Squad, all of whom are looking for a chance to represent their country,” Tucker said.

“To be included in Bowls Australia’s high performance program and receive the knowledge and training from the high performance team, which in my opinion is the best in the world, was an honour. And to play for Australia was just a dream come true.”