BPL20 teams announced
The final teams for November’s historic BPL20 have dropped to set the stage for the most extraordinary edition of the Bowls Premier League to date at its spiritual home at Club Pine Rivers.
With two new franchises entering the field, the competition will become even more fierce as the number of squads increases from ten to twelve.
In their debut tournament, the Geelong Jets have taken huge steps to try and become the first team since the Tweed Heads Ospreys in BPL10 to win on tournament debut.
Former champion and MVP winner Aaron Wilson crosses from the Lions, while his Right at Home Jackaroo teammate and fiancee Jamie-Lee Worsnop will make her inaugural appearance at the competition.
International star Paul Foster MBE will make his long-awaited debut at the BPL with tournament stalwart Matt Flapper coming in as coach.
The Jets’ fellow newcomers in the Sydney Saints have also launched into their career with a scintillating team consisting of three-time champion Ben Twist and BPL19 All Star Dawn Hayman, who will represent her fourth franchise at the competition.
English international Jamie Walker joins the squad for his first taste of BPL action under foundation coach in another St Johns Park product David Ferguson.
Now entering a crosstown rivalry with the Saints, the Sydney Lions have made two changes to the squad after the departures of Twist and Wilson.
Right at Home Jackaroo Nathan Black will line up for his first full tournament after filling in for the Adelaide Pioneers at BPL18, with Brett Spurr set to suit up for the first time at the event.
Black and Spurr join Lions stalwart and four-time champion Karen Murphy under long-time coach Steve Glasson OAM.
The home franchise in the Moreton Bay Pirates has made one alteration to the team that finished runner-up in February’s edition with World Championships and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Katherine Rednall making it a completely international outfit.
The English star joins two-time champion and double MVP Alex Marshall MBE and fellow Scot in Club Pine Rivers’ Ryan Burnett under their coach in Ellen Falkner MBE.
In creating an all-international team, the Pirates become the first Australian based franchise to use a roster with all four born overseas, with the former New Zealand Blackjacks as the only other team to field no Australians.
Defending champions in the Melbourne Pulse have also brought one change to their lineup with Dandenong Club’s Samantha Atkinson coming in for Ellen Fife who will be on maternity leave.
The former Australian Indoor Championships winner joins reigning MVP winner Gary Kelly and three-time BPL conqueror Barrie Lester under coach Jeremy Henry.
The Pulse’s crosstown rivals in the Melbourne eXtreme will bring two alterations to Pine Rivers with foundation player Ali Forsyth returning to the team after his absence in February and Jackaroo Nick Cahill making his comeback to the event after representing the Club Sunbury franchise at BPL17 in 2023.
Forsyth and Cahill come in for Ray Pearse and Flapper who has taken the role as Jets coach.
BPL18 All Star team member Kylie Whitehead retains her place in the squad under foundation coach Kelvin Kerkow.
Perhaps one of the biggest shocks has come from the Moama Steamers camp with foundation team member Ryan Bester set to miss the competition for the first time since the very first edition in 2013.
Kevin Anderson will become coach turned player and return to an on-green role for the second time after a runner-up showing with the Steamers in BPL14.
He joins five-time champion and six-time MVP Aron Sherriff and BPL17 winner Cassandra Millerick under debutant coach Stuie Whyte.
Also bringing one change to Pine Rivers are the Gold Coast Hawks, with English star and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Nick Brett replacing Brett Wilkie as the team looks to enter the finals for just the second time since the franchise’s return to the tournament at BPL14.
The 50-year-old joins two-time champion in Kelsey Cottrell and BPL07 winner in Nathan Rice under the tutelage of Mark Thatcher.
Although the Tasmania Tridents have brought forth an unchanged playing roster in Rebecca Van Asch, Taelyn Male and BPL19 hero Rob McMullen, foundation coach Mark Strochnetter will make way for Chris Dudman in Queensland.
The team that defeated Tasmania in February’s opening final in the Pioneers will stay on course with Scott Thulborn, Wayne Ruediger and Katelyn Inch all returning under Les Carter.
Four-time BPL winners in the Tweed Ospreys will also go unchanged with five-time winner and triple MVP Aaron Teys, BPL16 MVP Corey Wedlock and four-time champion Chloe Stewart under Wayne Turley OAM as coach.
Finally, Bill Brandsma’s Perth Suns will once more bring Carl Healey, Kristina Krstic and Blake Nairn as the team looks to make the finals for the first time since BPL12 and possibly win the franchise’s first final in history.
See below for the full ins and outs for each BPL franchise:
Adelaide Pioneers: Scott Thulborn, Wayne Ruediger, Katelyn Inch
Coach: Les Carter
No Change
Moreton Bay Pirates: Alex Marshall, Katherine Rednall, Ryan Burnett
Coach: Ellen Falkner
In: Rednall
Out: Dawn Hayman
Geelong Jets: Paul Foster MBE, Aaron Wilson, Jamie-Lee Worsnop
Coach: Matt Flapper
In: Wilson, Foster, Worsnop, Flapper (Coach)
Gold Coast Hawks: Nick Brett, Kelsey Cottrell, Nathan Rice
Coach: Mark Thatcher
In: Brett
Out: Brett Wilkie
Melbourne eXtreme: Kylie Whitehead, Nick Cahill, Ali Forsyth
Coach: Kelvin Kerkow
In: Cahill, Forsyth
Out: Ray Pearse, Matt Flapper
Melbourne Pulse: Barrie Lester, Gary Kelly, Samantha Atkinson
Coach: Jeremy Henry
In: Atkinson
Out: Ellen Fife
Moama Steamers: Kevin Anderson, Cassandra Millerick, Aron Sherriff
Coach: Stuie Whyte
In: Anderson, Whyte (Coach)
Out: Ryan Bester
Perth Suns: Blake Nairn, Kristina Krstic, Carl Healey
Coach: Bill Brandsma
No Change
Sydney Lions: Karen Murphy, Brett Spurr, Nathan Black
Coach: Steve Glasson
In: Black, Spurr
Out: Aaron Wilson, Ben Twist
Sydney Saints: Ben Twist, Dawn Hayman, Jamie Walker
Coach: David Ferguson
In: Twist, Hayman, Walker, Ferguson (Coach)
Tasmania Tridents: Rebecca Van Asch, Rob McMullen, Taelyn Male
Coach: Chris Dudman
In: Dudman (Coach)
Out: Mark Strochnetter (Coach)
Tweed Ospreys: Aaron Teys, Corey Wedlock, Chloe Stewart
Coach: Wayne Turley
No Change
BPL20 runs from November 11-15, 2024, at Club Pine Rivers with live streaming on Bowls Australia’s YouTube channel, as well as live broadcasts from Tuesday to Friday from 4pm until 10pm AEST on Fox, Kayo and Sky Sports NZ.
