Burden Park Premier League bowler Don Dodds will be considered for selection in the Chairman’s XI to take on the Canadian bowling team during their visit.By Glen Atwell
CANADA will invade Springvale next week, and the Burden Park Bowling Club will roll out the red – or green –carpet.
In a major coup for the club, the Canadian International lawn bowling team will visit and compete against the local side as practice for this year’s Asia Pacific Championships.
The Asia Pacific tournament is key preparation for the Commonwealth Games, and will be held at Darebin International Sports Centre from 9 November.
But before the six-man, six-woman team from Canada takes on the rest of the world, they’ll have to get past the Burden Park Chairman’s XI.
Formidable opponents on a bad day, the Chairman’s XI will be chosen from the club’s best Premier League bowlers.
Neil Turner from the club said the competition would be friendly.
“Obviously it is very exciting for the club to host an international side visit,” he said.
“But to use soccer terms, the match will be ‘a friendly’.”
After earlier criticism regarding how competitive Burden Park’s Premier League side would be this season, the international visit gives the region’s best bowlers the chance to silence their critics once and for all.
“It would be a nice rebuff to the media that said we wouldn’t win a game this season,” Turner said.
And with Canada not normally |fielding players as talented as those |from Britain, New Zealand and Australia at international events, if the |Chairman’s XI gets on a song, the players might just claim their first international scalp.
Burden Park’s Premier League bowlers include Keith Ronaldson, |Tony Nelson, Ron Ellis, Dean Mueller, John Lawton, Don Dodds and Don |Reid, who will all be hoping to be selected in the side to take on the Canadian team.
Play is scheduled from 3pm to 7pm on Friday, 4 November at the club on the corner of Heatherton and Springvale Roads, Springvale, with everyone interested in watching the international event invited to come and watch.
