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TUNCURRY lawn bowler Sarah Boddington’s blossoming career has been given a boost with the 22-year-old named in a 16 member Australian High Performance team to compete in Christchurch, New Zealand in January 2015.
The selected eight men and eight women will compete in the prestigious Burnside Invitation Pairs - an event targeted by the Australian selectors and national coach Steve Glasson as an important tool in preparing for the upcoming 2015 Asia Pacific and 2016 World Championships. Burnside Bowling Club will be the primary venue for both events.
Glasson said the event will provide the national selection panel with an invaluable opportunity to observe the players’ capacity in Christchurch ahead of the Asian Pacific Championships which will see fifteen or more countries compete.
Along with Cabramatta’s Ray Pearse, Boddington is the only player to be selected from outside the current Australian senior squads but her inclusion comes as no surprise as she has experienced more than her fair share of success on the greens over the last 18 or so months including claiming three state titles.
Since moving to the Great Lakes from Huskisson and joining Tuncurry Beach Bowling Club in June last year, Boddington has revealed she now has an even greater hunger to succeed at the highest level than ever before.
“Coming to Tuncurry has given me a new lease of life with new faces and new challenges,” she said.
“I was trimmed from the senior Australian squad just prior to moving and can now see that my motivation and mind-set were not what they should have been at the time.
“That has certainly changed and now that I have been given a second chance I’m absolutely determined to give it my very best shot.”
Boddington has been teamed up with NSW teammate and Australian stalwart, Claire Turley for the Burnside tournament.
Boddington said she is confident of a good showing in an event that historically has been dominated by men.
“Claire is one of those female players who play a man’s aggressive style of game,” Boddington said.
“She’s not afraid to mix it with them and neither am I for that matter.”
Two months ago Boddington beat the current New Zealand men’s singles champion, Ali Forsythe in the City Masters Singles.
The selected players to compete in the Burnside Invitation Pairs from January 15 to 19 are as follows:
1. Kristina Krstic (Manning Memorial, WA) and Carla Odgers (Sunbury, Vic)
2. Sarah Boddington (Tuncurry Beach, NSW) and Claire Turley (Cabramatta NSW)
3. Sam Shannahan (Avenue, Vic) and Lynsey Clarke (Helensvale, Qld)
4. Cloe Stewart (Kyneton, Vic) and Anne Johns (St Johns Park, NSW)
5. Ray Pearse (Cabramatta NSW) and Matthew Flapper (Ocean Grove, Vic)
6. Aaron Wilson (Brighton, Vic) and Nathan Rice (Helensvale, Qld)
7. Dylan Fisher (Fitzroy, Vic) and Mark Casey (Helensvale, Qld)
8. Matthew Baus (Raymond Terrace, NSW) and Brett Wilkie (Helensvale, Qld)