Tara Murray
It will be a different looking Deer Park as it attempts to win a third straight Bowls Victoria weekend pennant premier division title.
The Parkers have had a number of changes across all their squads but will again be one of the teams to beat.
Bowls operations manager Mark Casey said they were looking forward to the season.
“It’s definitely a new look team with the departure of key backend players in Aron Sherriff, Jay Bye-Norris, Ryan Tainton and Sean Ingham, but we are extremely excited about some of the new players that are coming into the side,” he said.
“For round one we have seven players making their debut for the club, including a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old. We are very excited about that.”
Casey said Lee Schraner is probably the big signing for the club. The former Australian representative was previously ranked the number one bowler in Australia.
He said the signing of Dean Riva has gone under the radar a bit.
“He has arrived over from Scotland, he is the current British under-25 singles champion so we can’t wait to see him in action,” Casey said.
At the other end, Casey said they had really focused on the introduction of their youth academy during the off-season with four players involved in the pennant season.
Two of them Bailee Randell and Harry Coleman will be playing in the premier side in round one.
Casey said not much changes for the group despite the personnel changes.
“To be honest, we always just focus on ourselves and what we can control,” he said.
“We know if we can perform at a high standard then we will be very hard to beat again.
“We realise winning three premierships in a row is very hard to do, so we know we are up against it however we are excited about the challenge ahead.
“Everyone has worked so hard during the pre-season and welcoming so many new players into the mix, it’s certainly created some hunger for more success.”
It’ll be a big season for the Parkers, with their second side playing in division 1 after winning a division 2 title last season.
Casey said it’s a huge asset for the club.
“The players are looking forward to playing quality opponents every week,” he said.
“Their section is tough, there will be no easy games which is a good thing, it will only make our players better.
“One of our academy members, 15-year-old Addy Ryan makes her debut for the club in division 1, we are all thrilled with how she is going and it’s only a matter of time before she makes the step up into premier level.”
Casey said overall the vibe at the club was really good. He said they had welcomed a number of new players across all levels.
“The club has a bright future,” he said.
“We have six players from the winning division 2 team last year that will start the year in division 3, that shows we are getting stronger, and everyone is just happy to put on the Deer Park shirt and do their best for the club.
“We couldn’t be happier.”
The Parkers premier division side starts next weekend.
